Fallen from the Sky
by sammycircle
Summary: The last time Ace met a completely oblivious idiot was Luffy. Even he didn't just drop from the sky. But then Whitebeard seems to have other ideas for that strange bounty hunter girl... with an excessive usage of the word 'bakahead'. AceXOC
1. A girl from the sky

**I haven't been writing fanfiction for a super long time! It's good to be back though:) **

**My first One Piece fic... I hope ya'll like it! **

**It takes place somewhere around the beginning of one piece I suppose? It's AceXOc, but has the straw hat pirates as well as the Whitebeard pirates. **

**Note:**

**-S- is Sky's POV**

**-A- Ace's POV**

**-E- Third person POV**

**and so on... enjoy~**

* * *

_"I've got sunshine_**  
**

_On a cloudy day"_

_**Chapter 1: A girl from the sky**  
_

**-E-**

A looming cloud hovered above her, threatening yet another thunderstorm. She sighed, cruising along the air on a surfboard.

"I hate the calm belt…" A sea king appeared out of nowhere, baring its fangs at her menacingly while she lazily pulled out a revolver and pulled the trigger.

Surfing through the air, the lone girl in a relatively empty sea spotted a nearby pirate ship straight ahead. Grinning, she sped towards its direction.

The moment she could clearly make out the jolly roger of the ship, she came to a silent halt.

"Shit." Flapping proudly in the wind was the symbol of the Whitebeard Pirates. Even the confident bounty hunter wasn't ready to risk a limb for that giant. The weather seemed to disagree, however, as a strong gust of wind blew a rock in her direction and knocked her out by hitting her square in the head. Her surfboard lost the ability to float in air and crashed down… into the murky waters below…

-**S-**

Someone was singing drunkenly beside me, and it wasn't all that nice to hear. I groaned and pried my eyes open, blinking a few times.

"Oi, isn't she that bounty hunter? What's her name again?" A voice resounded through the air. My head ached.

"Bad choice of ship though…"

Another man's voice replied, "Well technically she fell onto my striker."

A few men laughed, as though it were very amusing. "And you still brought her here?" There was no reply, so I suppose he shrugged in response. Well, it was time for me to make my presence known.

"Yo." I got up suddenly, giving a lot of them a shock.

"SHE WOKE UP!" Scratching my head absent-mindedly, I sat down, still a little dizzy from my little incident.

A man donning a large orange hat looked at me a little curiously. I was convinced they weren't ordinary pirates. Why did they save me? A light bulb lit above my head. _Ah they want to catch me and hold me as hostage! _

Gripping under my shirt, I was rather relieved to find that my revolver was still present. Now, when do I make my move?

That man was still giving that strange look, as though I fell from the sky. Based on their conversations… I did…

"Hey, little girls shouldn't be carrying guns around, shouldn't they?" He said politely. _Do polite pirates even exist? _

Caught off guard, I gazed at him warily, not answering. Pausing, I asked, "Who saved me?"

A crew member pointed at the orange hat guy. _Ah. So here's my saviour. _

I shook my head. This must be a dream. I'm not on board a pirate ship, and it's not just any ship, it's Whitebeard's ship! If I pinch myself I'll wake up from this dream.

"OUCH!" _Alright, it didn't work. _

**-A-**

That girl was quite entertaining. Being a bounty hunter, it's understood they should be against pirates. Yet, she was just doing mindless things. What a weird girl. Even Pop's daughters aren't that strange.

**-E-**

"What's a bounty hunter doing on my ship?" A loud voice boomed. The girl looked up to find a enormous figure towering over her, with his trademark white beard. Her eyes grew wide, with something akin to fascination. Ace cocked an eyebrow at her reaction.

"Ace brought her here." Marco replied, his back resting against the railing.

"Gu ra ra ra ra! And what do you mean by this, Ace?"

Ace shrugged, saying, "She dropped from the sky."

He faced his attention to the calm figure before him. "And you?" She shook her head furtively.

"Ah, it's not what you think. I think I passed out during the storm… while… being hit by a rock… so I'll be on my way now." Looking around, she looked as if she was searching for something.

"…Where's my surfboard?"

"Oh it broke." Ace said. It was at that point where his extreme narcolepsy struck and he fell to the ground snoring.

"…It _what?!_ Stop sleeping you bakahead!"

"Is that even a legit word…?" Marco chuckled. Sighing, she sank on the floor, momentarily depressed. Looking up apologetically, she said, "Umm sir, can I borrow a piece of wood or something?" Whitebeard found the whole situation even more amusing, especially at her politeness, erupted in a fit of laughter. "Who is this girlie?"

"Don't call me girlie…" She muttered to herself, pulling her hood up over her head. Once again, Marco answered his question. "Sky's a bounty hunter. She has the power of the kumo kumo no mi(cloud-cloud) paramecia devil fruit." Turning to face Marco, she questioned on how he knew her name.

"You're the rookie bounty hunter who took out pirates with bounties above fifty million, although I did expect a little more than this to be honest." He said, smiling slyly. Whitebeard did seem more interested this time, surveying this nonchalant girl with more seriousness.

"You guys are even weirder. Which pirate crew lets a bounty hunter on their ship?" They were very unlike any pirates she ever met – absolutely fearless, though not without reason, it _is _Whitebeard's crew after all.

"I think Pops has something else in mind…" Ace, who had woken up as suddenly as he fell asleep spoke bemusedly.

"When did you wake-" Sky started but was interrupted by the captain's booming voice.

"Little brat, why not be my daughter and you can be more free than you'll ever be as those damn bounty hunters!"

Her mouth hung open, while comprehending the offer it dawned on her what he just said.

"LIKE HELL!"

**-S-**

I'm quite sure I'm dreaming. Did that old man just ask me to join his crew? Be his daughter? _WHAT DAUGHTER?! _

For as long as I remember, I traveled alone. Really, I don't understand why I became a pirate hunter. People scoffed at this but all I wanted was adventure. And lo and behold, Whitebeard asks _me _to join his crew. He literally ruled the seas. For me, it's like an impossible dream. I didn't want to be any ruler though. I just wanted the freedom.

Ace was staring at me with this intensity which I found very uncomfortable.

But yet…

"No." I said bluntly. "Sorry, but no." I corrected myself. That old man roared with laughter again. _What. Is. So. Funny?!_

**-A-**

"What kind of name is Sky?" I mused. Sky glowered at me.

"I'm sure Ace is for Ace of Spades. What a cheesy name."

"And you're a cloud." I argued.

"Yeah, and being made of fire is really _normal_." She said dryly.

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**What do you think? ^.^**


	2. Idiots

**Aww thanks for the follows, favourites and reviews! Well here's the next chapter already :)**

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****_"Sometimes idiots can make the best friends._

_Because no matter what happens,_

_You'll never reach any lower than their level of stupidity_

_Isn't that a nice thought?"_

_**Chapter 2: Idiots**  
_

**-E-**

Everyone was silent, as though waiting patiently for her to change her mind. They all went back to their business, whether it was drinking or sparring with one another. A brown-haired man squatted next to her. "Ya know joining the crew ain't that bad."

"Yeah I struggled at first too." Ace added, fuelling her irritation.

"I didn't ask you bakahead." She hissed. Instead of backing away from the threat, he went closer to her.

"If I didn't save you, you'd drown wouldn't you?" He said cheekily. She was a hammer, just like him.

"He's got a point there ya know." Thatch agreed, high-fiving him behind her back. Her annoyance got the better of her and before they knew it, both men thrown back by something fluffy, hitting against the wall.

Rubbing his head, Ace complained, "That hurt!"

"That's because you underestimated me." Sky said, smiling a little for the first time. A glint appeared in his eyes, as flamed licked the side of his arms.

"Oi Ace, don't burn the ship." Thatch warned him.

Marco realised it had something to do with her devil fruit ability and sat down to watch the show. Ace would never turn down a fight, anyway. Even if it was from a girl.

_Especially _if it was from a girl.

Reaching for her revolver, she gripped it tight, preparing herself. Ace simply laughed – those attacks never hurt him.

"Oh, right." It dawned on Sky as she pocketed the weapon again, charging forward instead.

**-A-**

She was running towards me. I must say, she's quite fast. Still a long way to catch up with me though. Who cares if she's a girl? Sky looks like a boy in the first place.

"HIKEN!"

"ACE DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO BURN THE SHIP!" I heard Thatch hollering. Unknowingly, a cloud had already floated above my head. Then it started pouring on me.

"Ah. It worked." The balls of her fist had turned into balls of fluffy cloud-like material.

"You wanted to extinguish me?" I looked her with a stupefied expression.

"Obviously." She said, and at that moment her stomach growled. I suggested we eat before continuing our battle. Sky happily agreed.

**-E-**

Munching on her food hungrily, Sky spoke out, "So you're Luffy's older brother, eh?"

Ace, who was in the midst of a mountain of food, peeked out. "You know Luffy?!"

Nodding, she went back to eating but Ace continued staring at her. Marco walked over to see what the commotion was.

"You've been staring at her for quite awhile already, Ace." He pointed out. Ace snored. Though this time, his crew mate was quite sure he was faking it.

_Flashback_

"SKYYYYYYY JOIN MY CREW!" A skinny boy with a straw hat shouted at Sky's face, causing her to wince at the volume. Beside him was a green-haired man, with three kantanas at his side.

Wrinkling her nose, she said "I don't wanna be a pirate, Luffy."

While Luffy whined and pleaded, Zoro cleared his throat.

"She can do whatever she wants, it's not like you can force her." Her friend and ex-bounty hunter stated. He looked a little disappointed but nevertheless accepted her decision.

"But Zoro agreed…" Luffy sniffed, as though that made all the difference in changing her mind.

"Luffy… I wanted adventure… but not by being against the law." Sky tried to explain, although Luffy would not budge. He stuck her tongue out at her childishly, "So being a pirate is bad?"

"Why not you be a bounty hunter too? You wouldn't be chased after by marines _and _you can still have fun!" The suggestion bounced off the stubborn straw hat boy. He gave her a _then-what's-the-fun-of-that _face.

"No! I'm going to be like Ace!"

"Who's Ace?" She asked curiously.

"My big brother!" He said proudly, his eyes twinkling.

It was soon after where Sky waved goodbye to a new and an old friend, laughing and crying at the same time.

"SKYYYYY!" Luffy shouted her name at a distance on that pathetic raft they were riding on.

"YES?"

"WHEN YOU SEE ME I'M GOING TO BE PIRATE KING! AND YOU'LL BE MY NAKAMA!" Sighing, she couldn't help but smile and continued waving.

"BYE ZORO! BYE LUFFY!" She watched as the boat disappeared at the endless sea in front of her.

_End of flashback_

**-S-**

"Yeah I met him in East Blue… BAKAHEAD STOP SLEEPING AND LISTEN." I raised my voice, throwing a cloud ball at his face. It exploded and left his face dripping wet. Ace frowned, and attacked back by tumbling his entire pile of food on top of me.

It was a bad idea to provoke that man. I nearly suffocated.

**-A-**

I didn't want her to die (Pops will have my head) so I searched for Sky under all that food. Perhaps it was easier to just eat it.

Throwing a few chicken wings and some other forms of meat over my head, ignoring the shouts of protest from the others, I found her.

She was unconscious. Feeling a little guilty, I leaned forward to see if she was still breathing.

_Thank goodness. _

**-E-**

Ace placed his face near her nose, oblivious to all the people staring at him suspiciously. Her breath felt warm as he smiled in relief, poking her forehead.

"Time to wake up, Cloud."

Opening her eyes slowly, she was more shocked on the fact that she was lying on top of food instead of the fact that Ace was towering above her, inches away from making contact.

"Why… am I lying on top of food?" She asked, as many of the spectators groaned at her reaction. Looking at Ace who was still on top of her, then back to the spectators, then looking at Ace, whose face was so close she could count his freckles. She comprehended the situation – even she wasn't that thick.

"Bakahead, get off." She said patiently, pushing at his chest.

"Ah, sorry." He got up and started eating as though nothing happened.

At least, according to them, nothing happened.

* * *

**I've already written the third chapter but I'll post it tomorrow because life should be full of suspense~ (the heck am I even saying...)**


	3. The Dare

**As promised the third chapter! It's kind of a continuation from chap 2... so not much of a increase in story content, shorter than the other chapters. But still, I hope you enjoy it ;) **

* * *

_"To die would be an awfully great adventure"_

_**Chapter 3: The Dare**  
_

**-S-**

Whitebeard's nurses had offered me a room in that gigantic ship – _Moby Dick. _I was glad, though the idea of accepting help from pirates was rather ironic.

I was still a little worried though. Perhaps this was a trap to lure bounty hunters in – by randomly inviting them to the crew. The more I thought, the more frantic I got, pacing up and down the spacious room they brought me in. While I was planning my entire escape route, there was a knock on the door.

"Who's there?" I asked stupidly.

"Baka baka baka." I hitted myself on the head repeatedly. I should stop doing things upon instinct.

"Ace."

Oh it's that idiot again. Well, whatever.

"Come in." I sighed, wondering why he bothered to knock anyway. Pirates were _not _polite. They were supposed to rowdy, drunk and vicious. He reminds me nothing of Luffy. Were they even related?

He walked in, grumbling under his breath about something along the lines of 'I don't wanna do this' and 'she'll hate me'. I vaguely recognised as Thatch's voice saying "A dare's a dare and you lost."

"Err, hi." He said guiltily. I looked at him expectantly. "What's up?"

Turning around, he shut the door with a click.

"I'm not supposed to say this but – "

"Then don't say it."

Ignoring my remark, he continued "The guys wanted me to do a dare."

"Mm." Ace gave me a strange look.

"Are you ever surprised at _anything_?"

I thought for a while before answering.

"When you had your narcolepsy attack…" I was leaning against the wall when he walked towards me and placed both hands on either side of my shoulders.

_Awkward…_

**-E-**

Her face still the same as ever as she asked Ace, "What're you doing?"

He went closer to her ear, whispering. "It's the dare."

_Flashback_

Lying down relaxed on the deck, Ace gave another big yawn. Thatch appeared in front of him with a big grin on his face.

"If you're bored, we can do something fun!" Ace narrowed his eyes in warning but put on his hat and followed Thatch to wherever he was going. A certain blond-haired man folded his arms, watching them. According to him, Ace might _not _have the fun he wanted. It was for the crew's entertainment after all.

"That idiot never notices." Marco said lightly.

_End of flashback_

"Okay…" Her expression was deadpan, though a little hint of surprise was still present.

**-S-**

Was this how it was supposed to be like? When a half-naked man intrudes your room (well, he knocked) and stands this close to you, what else do you expect him to do? I felt for my revolver.

Catching my eye, he stopped my hand from reaching for it and pulled the gun out slowly, then throwing it on the bed behind him. "I think having that is a little dangerous to me." He flashed me a grin.

"It can't even hurt you."

"The fist of love always hits."

I laughed at his absurdity. "You said the fist –" It didn't occur to me until later he said the fist of _love_.

I didn't even realise that his face was even closer than this morning's suffocation attack. "It's a figure of speech, stop being so anal, Sky."

**-A-**

More importantly, I was dared to make her blush. But she wouldn't! Is she completely shameless, or perhaps just completely unaware of her surroundings? I had this deep intuition that she came from the Amazon Lily.

"Why don't you wear a shirt? Doesn't it get cold?"

What the hell. Now she's asking me about my lack of clothes. And I have decided – _she's completely shameless. _

"It's easy to burn them if you're made of fire…" I told her. All of a sudden, the ship met a really wave and I was thrown off balance.

**-E- **

She _thought _she'd hit something hard – turns out it was Ace's stomach. It was as hard as a rock, not very comfortable to use as a pillow. The ship jolted again.

Mentally cursing, Sky pushed her face away from his. "Ugh. Ace, wake up!"

Groggily coming to his senses, he felt an odd feeling on his lips, as though someone kissed it…

"I think we kissed by accident." She confirmed his doubts bluntly. Noticing that she was flushing, just a tiny bit, he cheered inwardly. "Does flushing count?" He called over his shoulder.

While she threw a cloudball at his face, a direct hit again, she smirked widely. "I'm sure the bet didn't include you being as red as _fire, _didn't it?" If it was possible, Ace's face could have burst into flames at that heat of the moment.

"BOOOOOO." A chorus of voices replied. Sky heard Whitebeard's laughter outside.

"So… would you join our crew?" Ace attempted to change the topic. Giving him a blank expression, she said, "Sure."

He wasn't quite sure he heard correctly, so he repeated his question tentatively.

"LIKE HELL!" She pushed him out of the room and kicked the door shut.

Whitebeard, who overheard the conversation, chuckled. "Stubborn brat. Gu ra ra ra ra!" A nurse looked on worriedly.

"Oyaji, you should stay still or else your tubes will come off…"

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**All your support keeps me going, seriously, thank you!**


	4. Shameless

**Thank you so much for the reviews xx reviews make me happy^^**

_Here's a really long chapter for you guys! (Because you're awesome)_

_Disclaimer: I only own one original character, Sky._

* * *

_"The world is complicated._**  
**

_Generous on the outside_

_Selfish on the inside_

_True justice_

_True humanity_

_Doesn't matter anymore."_

_**Chapter 4: Shameless**  
_

**-S-**

First, I had to get a new surfboard. I could get around with a cloud but it wasn't exactly very reliable way. On such a big ship, there should be one I can get, but for some reason every time I saw one, it disappeared before I could even touch it.

I was very certain it had something to do with a person wearing a ridiculously orange cowboy hat.

Well, whatever.

It was then I decided to try something else.

"_If _I join the crew, I have to get a tattoo right?" One day, I asked Ace at the dinner table. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Where do I put mine?" I said it as if it were a very important question in relation to the philosophies in life.

Stuffing down more food, he swallowed hard before answering. "You can put it on your back like me." It was a rather reasonable response, but there was _one _problem.

"I can't just go shirtless even if I am a pirate."

Ace choked on a piece of meat, as Marco patted his back automatically.

**-E-**

"_Nobody _asked you to go shirtless!" Ace said after he swallowed properly. Marco cleaned his plate with his fork carefully. He pointed at the back of his palm.

Slapping a fist on her palm, Sky nodded. Ace nearly wanted to roll his eyes but thought against it. After all, being drenched was not his favourite place to be while eating. Reaching for the sake in front of him, he poured himself a generous share before turning towards Sky, offering her some. Thatch popped out of nowhere; stealing the sake he was offered.

"I was wondering, why did you become a bounty hunter? You don't look like the type." He observed, while Ace gaped at him.

She tapped her fingers on the table, pondering over his question. It was quite true – her scrawny size, the oblivious manner she handled things were just some of them. Ace continued grabbing at the buffet of food but his ears had perked up.

"Freedom?" Her answer was like an open question, almost like she was asking herself instead. Sky's hair was highlighted with light shades of silver - Ace was insistent that did not made her any less dumb that morning, in which she stole his precious hat.

She hasn't returned it to him yet.

**-A-**  
"That's... Unexpected." I thought the answer had more hidden meaning than what Thatch thought (just because I was Luffy's brother, does not mean we  
have the same level of stupidity).

However, Thatch seemed satisfied with her answer. I made no extra comments, it felt that she already revealed enough for now.

"How do you manage to eat so much?" Sky turned her attention to my bottomless pit.

"It's the will of the D."

"No it's not." Marco burst my bubble.

"Luffy has the will of the D too." She said, smiling at the memory. I had to give her some credit - she wasn't as blur as I thought. And besides, she still has my hat. My head felt empty without it.

Perhaps I should try convincing her to stay again. I don't get myself. Any friend of Luffy's would be mine. The food was all gone so there was no  
distraction now...

"Sky..."

"I should get going soon." She looked sadly at the plate (which was full of  
food earlier). Sky faced me.

"Ah did you say something?" I mentally sighed.

"It's nothing..." Tonight I was going to see pops. I had to know why he wanted her on the crew in the first place, and I had this nagging suspicious that he would treat it as a small matter, just like when I told him about my father.

About Gold D Roger.

**-E-**  
The black-haired man hesitated, but knocked on the big wooden door located  
at the centre of the shop. Their father's room.

"It's Ace." He called out. Whitebeard gave his signature booming laughter, and let the young man in. He knew that his son would've came to see him, sooner or later.

"A father always knows what his son is thinking." He chuckled proudly to himself. Ace stepped into the room, seeing his father sitting down on his bed with his IV tubes still plugged in. A giant grin made his mustache upturned and he beckoned him forward.

While explaining the reason he came to see him in private, Ace was slightly miffed to find his father holding in his laughter.

"She'll join, if that was what you were worried about."

"I'm not worried." He corrected him automatically.

"She mentioned that she would leave tomorrow, then what do we do?" The white-haired man shrugged.

"Why do you think you were chosen as commander?" He lay back on the bed and  
closed his eyes, indicating for Ace to take his leave.

Getting up, Ace left the room - with even more questions than he originally had.

He looked up at the star-filled sky. "Sabo... What would you do?"

"I'd go to sleep." Someone next to him said. Sky was sitting on a cloud cushion, a piece of wooden plank lay beside her. In her hands were a single hammer and nail.

**-S-**  
The door was soundproof... It wasn't like I was trying to eavesdrop! I wanted to ask that old man for a plank to build a new surfboard, but apparently I found one out at sea. I knew Ace never liked water.

As I have finally realised - woodcraft was not one of my strong points. Before long, my finger was hit mercilessly by that stupid hammer.

"Shit."

Ace was giving one of his you-cant-do-it looks which made me even more determined to succeed. I heard him sigh above me and he curled his fingers around my wrist.

"You're so skinny, I doubt your tattoo would fit in your arm." He emphasized that fact by leaving excess space after circling his fingers around my wrist.

"Who said I was joining? Baka." I continued building, prying his fingers off me.  
It was more of destroying because by the time I gave up the size of the plank was reduced to half. And that idiot beside me didn't even lift a finger to help as mine was narrowly flattened many times. He had this thoughtful look on his face that I didn't understand.

He was thinking how make me stay, probably.

"What makes it so hard for you to join?" Ace took the hammer from my hands, throwing it out into the ocean.

"Y-o-u." I mouthed, throwing the plank at him. I had this odd habit of throwing things at objects at him. He asked for it. For split second he was downcast, which made me(for that split second) guilty. Even if he did throw away my hammer.

"Ah you -" The idiot's hands were on fire and he bunt the plank, his brow furrowed.

He put out a flaming hand in warning, "Don't punch me." As the fire disappeared, the plank had vanished as well. In place was a wooden surfboard, with no trace that it had previously been in contact with fiery flames.

I was thoroughly impressed.

**-E-**  
Sky touched the makeshift board, her face lit up into a genuine smile. Ace dusted his hands, triumphant.

"Thanks!" She leapt up to give him a bear hug, clinging onto him like a koala. Ace's eyebrows shot up but returned the hug, yet a little flustered.

"Your hat!" She remembered, letting go of him and rushing off. Her favourite for of transport seemed to be on a floating cloud. Ace was glad that he didn't have to resort to extreme measures to get it back. Putting his hands into his pockets, he sat cross-legged on the floor, a smile playing on his lips.

Across the ship, he heard shouting. It didn't occur to him to be any dire matter, so he shut his eyes to block out the noise.

The shouting got louder.

"Why isn't Sky back yet..." Ace stretched, deciding to search for her. The shouting made it literally impossible to sleep and his narcolepsy attack only came an hour ago. Making his way towards the noise, he bumped into a fellow crew member.

"What's going on?"

He pointed behind him, huffing, "That girl you saved earlier? She was drowning... We forgot she was a hammer... " Ace cursed under his breath and rushed towards that direction without waiting for him to finish.

"That baka!" He ran, leaving a trail of scorched shoe prints behind him.

Drenched from head to toe, she was still unconscious by the time he arrived. Some men, including Marco and Thatch were crowding around her. Ace pushed his way through, kneeling beside Sky. Her hands were gripping his hat tightly.

Just as he was about to shake her to consciousness, she coughed a mouthful of seawater right at his face. Ace was unperturbed, but sighing again.

She looked around fervently, from Ace to herself and Ace again.

"Did you drown too?!" Ace was speechless.

"Am I a ghost?" She frowned, trying to poke at the floor.

"If I'm a ghost, my finger should be able to pass through..." Ace got back his senses and grabbed her shoulders firmly.

"You idiot!" Everyone sniggered. She blinked. Finding the hat in her hand, she placed it on his head.

"There."

"Let's get you to the sickbay..." He pulled her up easily - she weighed absolutely nothing.

"Can you stand?" The crowd had dispersed, although two of his friends lingered behind, watching over the pair.  
"No, I feel giddy." She staggered, holding on to his arm for support.

She said brightly, "You can carry me."

Meanwhile the nosy pair were bent from holding back their laughter. Tears had started to form in Thatch's eyes. "Completely… Shameless…" He echoed Ace's previous observation.

Having been used to Sky's unpredictability, Ace picked her up in his arms, then made a joke about her weight again.

"Mm." She said tiredly, not bothering to retaliate, falling asleep in an instant.

"But thank you for the board." She woke up, giving Ace a little shock.

"Weren't you asleep?!"

A light snore reached his ears. Looking down at his friend, he mumbled, "Why do I always have to take care of idiots."

Burrowing her face in his chest (whereas Marco had to cover Thatch's mouth to stop him from shouting), she said softly, "I might consider joining…" Ace cocked his head in confusion.

"Joining what?"

The only response he got was another snore.

* * *

**Long chapters are fun, I'm going to take the romance step by step - because Sky's an idiot. According to the wikipedia page, Ace is more intelligent and bearable than Luffy, though if you think it through, being better only than Luffy... isn't exactly a good thing**

**I wonder what would happen if Ace and Sky were faced with mero mero mellow c:**


	5. Flying hats

**Yosh, a super short chapter here, kind of a flashback. I'm currently writing the next one so it'll be up soon~ It's about Amazon Lily ^^ I found the whole Luffy landing in Amazon Lily hilarious so why not? **

* * *

_"Maybe I'm just a little girl with great big plans"_

_**Chapter 5: Flying hats**  
_

_A retelling of how Sky ended up in the water._

**-E-**  
Her footsteps quickened as she searched the ship for her room.

"My dense of direction can't be as bad as Zoro's..." She mentioned her swordsman friend, laughing to herself. Reaching her room, Ace's hat sat on her bed a bright contrast to the white sheets. Sky picked it up, admiring the smiley and devil face adorned with the beads.

A bolt of lightning flashed menacingly outside. Wasting no time, she ran out of the room, frowning when the whole sky was black.

Before she knew it, the hat flew out if her hands, flying towards the direction of the vast sea.

"Shitty hat." She could almost hear _that _voice telling her not to curse. Biting her tongue, she stopped herself from spilling anymore profanities while the hat floated further and further away. There was no one nearby.

Of course, she chased after it without a thought.

She leapt off the ship, grabbing the hat in an instant. Splatters of seawater flicked out, and she sank like a rock.

"I'm a hammer..." She thought frantically, as usual realising a little too late. Fading away in the darkness, the shouts from the man on watch did not reach her ears. She only had silent thoughts.

* * *

**-S-**

I'll never be a pirate, I'm sorry mom.

* * *

**xx**


	6. The Island of Women

**Read & Review! :) Behold Amazon Lily!**

* * *

_"Women are touchy creatures._**  
**

_Like little toadstools waiting quietly for the chance to poison _

_But when they're in love_

_That's another story."_

_**Chapter 6: The Island of Women**  
_

**-E-**

It had almost became a routine.

First Ace would ask Sky if she would join the crew.

Next Sky would proceed to telling him she would leave that day, carrying  
her surfboard with her.

In the end, she would remember something that made her stay. (No supplies, sea kings surrounding the calm belt and so on). Ace saw her took down an abnormally large sea king just the previous day but never neither discouraged nor encouraged her to leave.

"LAND HO!" The man on watch shouted from the mast, scanning the sea with a long telescope.

"STOP!" Whitebeard had appeared, silencing everyone on deck. He looked oddly disturbed, which made the crew in a very doubtful state.

"That is the Amazon Lily."

The eyes of the men surrounding Sky turned into hearts, excluding the commanders who had more self control. Sky heard them swooning 'the pirate empress', 'beautiful ladies' and whatnot. She assumed Ace knew what they meant.

"What's so good about the Amazon Lily?"

He adjusted his hat, looking ahead at the tiny dot of island they could see. "It's the island of women, where there are only women and girls. They say it's a men's paradise."

"And you don't think so." She stated.

"You can't find any adventures there!" He said, sadly, "Though there should be good food…" He shrugged; Sky couldn't help but notice the mere mention of lunch had already made him hungry.

"Now you seem more like Luffy."

"What did you say?"

She stuffed her hands in her pants pockets, looking as passive as ever. "Nothing."

The men on board were sorely disappointed on the missed opportunity. Marco and Thatch were as emotionless as Ace on the whole matter, but even Thatch was a little sulky.

"Pervert." Sky upon knowing the reason, said, causing Thatch to spin around guiltily.

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing." She smiled innocently.

"Don't think just because you're a girl I wouldn't –"

At the mere mention of her lack of strength, Sky got pissed. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" She hit him in the stomach with her revolver.

Ace and Marco stood, speechless.

"Maybe you shouldn't go onto the island; they might mistake you for a boy." Thatch was only half-joking. Since he was the cook on the ship (her stomach relied on him), Sky contented herself by sticking her tongue out childishly, jumping onto the boat to join the nurses. Whitebeard had struck some sort of deal with Boa Hancock that allowed them to dock on a ten metre radius, only allowing female crew members on the island. Still, he had warned Sky.

"Kid, you should look more girly." Waving his warning off, she gave him two thumbs up. Ace could almost hear himself sighing at the girl's carefree attitude. Marco smirked.

"Are you _worried_?" Vista's moustache twitched.

"Is that why you weren't interested in the empress?" Thatch added.

Ace burst into flames – literally.

"DON'T BURN THE FREAKING SHIP!" Thatch hollered, swinging a dozen kitchen knives at him.

"He's burning with passion." Marco said dryly.

"SHUT UP!"

Haruta was the only division commander who came along, clenching her sword in one hand, handling it with ease. Sky had nearly insisted Izo to come along, not knowing his true gender.

"_Why isn't she coming?" Sky pointed at Izo, his face plastered with makeup with a very visible red lipstick on. Blamenco chortled, nudging Izo to listen. He remained stone-faced. _

"_She – I mean he's a cross-dresser." Haruta explained. _

"_Ah sorry." Sky bowed in apology. _

The Kuja tribe welcomed them warmly (after making sure they were of the correct gender), though Sky was held back for a while.

"Which girl doesn't like frills? You're strange." A friendly girl attempted to put on a frilly vest over her with flower patterns all over it, only to be rejected immediately. Sky nodded politely, but after passing grimaced.

"Frills." She shivered at the very thought. Sky wasn't very sure she liked this place very much. Her mind changed when she heard their tour guide quoting "Strength equals beauty here in Amazon Lily". Those thoughts were interrupted by trumpets resounding across the island, signalling something important was going on.

"Hancock-sama is back!" Some little girls cheered gleefully, accidentally banging into Sky's knees in their excitement. Squatting down, she patted their heads.

"Who's Hancock-sama?"

"She's the pirate empress! We're going to give her a present!" They jumped up and down like bunnies, holding a basket full of red apples. They dragged her alone, leaving the rest behind. Mai, one of the nurses, was concerned but Sky waved off her off just as with Whitebeard.

"You guys go get supplies." In truth, she really wanted to spot the infamous beauty queen the whole ship got exhilarated for.

_Back at the ship_

Ace was holding his head in his hands in a corner.

"I forgot to tell that idiot not to make Hancock angry…"

"You have to more faith; even _Sky _wouldn't just tell Hancock she looks ugly." Marco calmly reminded him.

"She's not." Thatch piped up. Marco shot him a glance that shut him up.

Ace looked up. He imagined her coming back as a stone statue. "That's _exactly _what she would do!"

_Meanwhile on the island of women…_

"Ugly woman." Sky wrinkled her nose, watching the empress take one bite of the apple before flinging the whole basket away. The children were nearly in tears, but held them as their parents apologised profusely for their 'actions'.

_Why are they apologising? _Feeling rather indignant, the words were perhaps a tad too honest.

Boa Hancock nearly fainted from shock, her back arched back in pure horror from the words. It pierced through her heart, right through her pride.

"Mero Mero Mellow!" Somehow or other, Sky got distracted by the crying children, eating a fallen apple and grinning.

The empress was in a frenzy of being ignored by a complete stranger who was neither affected by her charms nor giving her complete attention.

"Mero mero mellow!" This time, Sky was juggling the apple cores to entertain the now happy children. Just as Boa Hancock was done with her attack, Sky faced her. She was quite puzzled.

"Are you thinking that I'd fall in love with you if you made a heart sign?" She asked her bluntly. Nyon gasped – someone had insulted the snake princess! (a second time!)

"Prepare yourself in the battle arena!" The empress declared, while every other Kuja tribe member shouted in agreement.

Picking up all the fallen apples, Sky collected them all back in the same basket, handing it back to the girls. When she finally took a closer look at the empress's terrifying face, she scratched her head at the sight before her.

"Why are ya'll aiming your bows at me?"


	7. Fe-Male

**Boa Hancock was rather fun to write - she's childish but hilarious at the same time. **

**Enjoy xx**

**I like to hear your comments ^-^**

* * *

_"Hate stems from where it hurts the most"_**  
**

**Chapter 7: Fe-Male**

**-S-**

The princess flipped her hair proudly. "Everyone will forgive me. Why? It's because I'm beautiful!" Her followers swooned, honouring their princess's remark.

I shrugged. "Sure." I said carelessly.

"He insulted Hancock-sama!"

"He should die!"

Since when did I change my gender?

The women were slowly closing in on me, their snake bows all pointed in my direction which made their numbers quite intimidating. I raised my hands in protest.

"I don't want to hurt anyone here…"

"Don't fall for that man's pleas! They're despicable and disgusting!"

"I'M NOT A _MAN_." I reminded her.

"Yes, despicable and disgusting!" They chorused.

I wanted to know what that snake princess did that made everyone so damn loyal to her. It was almost abnormal. Sure, she was a princess but I'm quite sure that their loyalty extended to absolute devotion…

An elderly grandmother had stepped in front of Boa Hancock, a long wooden stick in hand.

_She's got guts._

"We shouldn't hurt any of Whitebeard's crew!" She said firmly, keeping her stance.

_She's got a LOT of guts. _

Some of the women looked at each other, comprehending the elder's words.

"Silence!" Boa Hancock ordered, giving the stout lady a deathly glare, almost as if she could turn her into stone. The grandmother froze, turning red in embarrassment.

What the hell is wrong with this island?

A girl walked up to the empress, handing her a small den den mushi timidly. Bowing, she hurried away.

"Hello?" Hancock snapped.

"I thought we had an agreement." I could hear the distinct rumble of Whitebeard's voice coming from the snail phone. The still-blushing grandmother paled upon knowing the identity of the caller.

"You know I do not take insults lightly." Hancock slammed the phone down, folding her arms tightly.

"Have you even seen real men before?" I asked the warriors warily. They all shook their heads.

Boa Hancock stood in front of me, looking at me right in the eye.

"Show your true self, all you disgusting men are the same!"

"For the last time… I'M A FE-MALE. FEMALE!" I emphasized tiredly.

Holding her hands up in a heart shape, she boldly exclaimed, "MERO MERO MELLOW~"

That was when everything blanked out.

* * *

**-E- **

"Man or not, nobody will defy me, because – I'm beautiful!"

The den den mushi buzzed, and Whitebeard stroked his moustache with an unreadable expression on his face. Haruta had rushed back to inform him of the oncoming battle. Ace's worst fears had come true.

"She really did it…"

Just then, the nurses had arrived, dragging something aboard.

It was a stone statue.


	8. Stoned

**Hope you liked it so far :)) xx**

* * *

_"The best thing in life come in the most absurd packages"_

_**Chapter 8: Stoned**  
_

**-E-**  
Thatch was inching away from a certain orange hat person, whose face could kill at that instance.

Ace was furious. Everyone knew how he was like when he got angry.

Just as he was about to hunt down Boa Hancock, Whitebeard stopped him.

"Ace."

The statue was clearly a vague picture Sky, even with her calm expression it was assumed she had no idea what was going to happen to her.

"Yo." A thin figure stood beside the identical statue, posing with a peace sign, as though she had been there all along.

_"WHAT?!"_

**-S-**  
To be honest, I didn't expect them to take it that hard..  
When that hammock woman did that heart sign again, I thought it was a spell to make me fall in love with her.

So I sort of duplicated myself as a cloud, and ran away. As I've said, I'm not exactly fond of this island.

It turns out that the cloud replica of me turned into stone. They must have noticed that the statue was a little puffy at the edges… Upon making my escape, I had to look at Hancock again. She looked oddly familiar.

Too familiar. A blurry image of devil fruits and flabby rich men wearing those oxygen masks had appeared in my head. Was it Sabody – something? I could still feel that metal rubbing against my neck, the cold hard steel, constricted, lonely, sold…

Somehow, I didn't feel any grudge against her - even if she did try to stone me. _Literally._

I should stop having self monologues. Ace had apparently fainted from shock.

"Are you okay? " I went around to wake him up, tapping him on the head continuously. He grasped my hand tightly.

"You're not Sky."He said groggily.

"LIKE HELL!"

"Yeah, she's Sky." All of the crew members nodded simultaneously.

**-E-**

"You still want me on your crew, after all the trouble I caused?" She asked in disbelief.

"Why not? Ace always tries to burn down the ship and he's our commander."

"OI!"

Sky placed her hands on her chin, balancing on her elbows. A few minutes later…

"Okay."

"THAT'S IT?!"

Marco stroked his chin. "Your replica turning into stone proves that you're not asexual. " He dodged a punch coming from his fellow 2nd division commander.

"…which means _you_ still have a chance." He continued, smirking while evading all of Ace's attacks.

She had turned towards the direction of Amazon Lily, staring at the Kuja tribe still hollering at the 'man' they failed to kill. Standing on the edge of the ship, she waved.

"Farewell! If it makes you feel any better, I'm a girl! A female! I DON'T HAVE A PEN-" Ace covered my mouth.

"That's way too much information." He said sternly.

"Ah, sorry."


	9. Of Tattoos and Ketchup

**There ya go! Tell me your views and stuff yeah I appreciate it ^^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

**my apologies that I kept changing the summary - the previous ones were a little too corny and long I guess;P**

**The next chapter will finally include the straw hat crew! **

**Thank you all~ I have revamped the rest of my chapters :D **

* * *

_"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."_

_**Chapter 9: Of Tattoos and Ketchup **  
_

**-S-**  
While the tattoo artist got ready, I went to read the list of bounty posters plastered all over that cabin. Spotting Ace's, I looked it up.

**WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE**  
_Portgas D. Ace_  
_550,000,000 beli_

The amount was enough to make any bounty hunter drool. But then again, I'm not one anymore.

"Are you ready?" The artist called out, with numerous tools in hand.

"Where should I put it?"

Nicole (the only other female not a nurse), twirled the instruments in thought.

"There. And there." I just agreed. She probably knew best anyway.

"There's a party for you outside." She said amiably, still concentrating at her work.

"For who?"

"Our newest crew member."

"Who?" I repeated myself, a little perked up.

Slapping my hand away from the tools, Nicole sighed. "I wonder..."

Upon thanking Nicole, she brushed me off brusquely, shooing me out of the door.

"Kanpai!" A wobbly man pushed me towards the centre of the party, laughing drunkenly. I was wedged in between a drunkard and a snoring Ace - holding a drained mug of beer.

"I don't drink." I rejected Thatch who was busy handing everyone their drinks. He downright rejected my rejection, forcing the drink in my hands.

"You're a pirate now! KANPAI! FOR OUR NEWEST MEMBER, SKY!" He shouted, lifting his mug in the air.

Ace had woken up again (I was no longer surprised) and patted my back, grinning.

I tried drinking down the swirling beer in front of me- it was quite disgusting. Seeing me hesitate, Ace chugged down his effortlessly just to mock me.

"Show off." I held the mug in my hands and finished it to the last drop. Ace raised his eyebrows.

"OI Sky, did you get yer tattoo?" Vista shouted across.

I showed off the mark Whitebeard on my right arm and the back of my palm. All of them cheered approval, giving them yet another reason to kanpai.

"Wait, wait there's one more..."

**-A-**  
I saw her lift up her shirt, maybe she thought being a pirate meant that you could just strip whenever and wherever?

I know I'm not the best example of being conservative.

**-E-**  
Sky lifted up her shirt when Ace asked her urgently, "What _are _you doing?" His face was as red as a beet.

"My tattoo, see?" She showed him the mark on her back.

"It's like yours!" She said happily.

"Why are you all red? Maybe you drank too much..." Ace was momentarily dumbfounded as Sky touched his forehead. The last time anyone made him blush was Makino and that was more than ten years ago. Obviously he had issues.

It probably had something to do with the crew consisting of 90 percent male.

"Oops." An entire bottle of ketchup had toppled and crashed onto the floor, splattering red sauce all over Ace and Sky. Sky was worst hit, her originally white shirt stained.

Expecting them to make him pay, the culprit scurried away, disappearing in the crowd.

"That was my last clean shirt..." She held the corner of the damp clothing sadly, seeing the ketchup drip on the wooden floorboards.

"You can strip." One if the cheekier pirates said. Marco kicked him in the face.

"Hmmm..." Watching Sky actually think of a reasonable solution, Ace threw her on his shoulder and carried her away, much to her protest.

"Where are we going?" She asked irritably. She attempted to kick his torso while her legs were still dangling, resulting in Ace holding on to her ankles, his other arm still around her waist.

"Let me down!"

"You're quite strong." He winced when took the opportunity to pull fistfuls of his hair in her struggle.

"Bakahead. Do you think I survived by being sweet and innocent?" Ace simply laughed, aggravating her further.

Realising that he wasn't going to let go, Sky traced her finger on top of his shoulder, getting a handful of ketchup still present. She put the finger in her mouth. The black-haired man eyed her suspiciously, almost jumping at the contact.

"What are you doing?" He asked for the second time that day.

"Tasting this red stuff." She said good-naturedly, tasting another swipe of the 'red stuff'. It made Ace uncomfortable but in no universe was he going to admit it to Sky.

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, it's ketchup."

"What did you think it was?"

"Blood." She said nonchalantly.

Stopping in front of one of the cabins, Ace turned the knob and stepped in, flicking on the light switch with his free hand. It was plain, with a single bed and some maps scattered around, with a dagger to weigh it down. Sky had imagined his room to be dusty, with drinks in corners and whatnot. Her first impression of pirates was hard to erase.

Finally putting her down, he walked over to rummage for something, then throwing an over-sized t-shirt at her. Catching it easily, Sky pried out from her stained shirt.

Ace turned around just in time to see her halfway changing out of the dirty t-shirt, and chuckled lightly. He had to teach that girl some sense of mind. It wasn't as if he hasn't seen skimpily-dressed girls before – being a pirate gave him a lot of chances for that.

"Sky."

"Yeah?" Breathing a sigh of relief she threw the shirt on the floor, leaving her in…

Ace closed his eyes.

"You can't trust people that easily." He said, though he was trying to tease her, his eyes remained close. She was going to drive him crazy one day.

Already reaching out for a borrowed clean shirt, she peeked out from the shirt hole, "I trust _you_." Ace could hear her footsteps getting closer.

"That's why… You should trust me too!" He could feel her standing in front of him, knowing he could touch her if he just as much stretched out his hand.

Her presence was gone, a draft blew into the room. Ace opened one eye cautiously.

"KANPAI!" A familiar voice rang out. He went towards the pile of clothes, his eyes widening when he saw what was in the pile.

"That idiot."

The original plan was to sneak back and throw the undergarments back at Sky when everyone was either drunk or fainted.

"WHATCHA HOLDING ACE?" The same cheeky man slurred.

"What were you doing in your room?" Whitebeard drank a bowl of sake, looking thoroughly amused.

Faced by so many accusations, Ace grudgingly dumped the clothing on top of Sky's head, waking her up.

"…Uh, Ace? Why are you holding a bra?" It was convenient enough that Ace slumped down with his narcolepsy attack. Or else he would have heard all the rumours that surfaced in that very instant he came out with an undergarment in hand.

* * *

**REVIEW OR SKY WILL BECOME MARY-SUE wahahahaha alright I was kidding :) I'd like to make a special OC mary-sue though, it'd be very funny shishishi**

**On a side note, I wanted 3 main genres for this story - Romance, humour and adventure cos I didn't want this fic to just revolve around them arguing on the Moby Dick... that would be boring... I might fast-forward to the Alabasta arc soon cos I'm a little impatient, please bear with me *bows* **


	10. WANTED

_Going nowhere it's really something_

_Getting busy doing nothing_

**Chapter 10: WANTED **

Luffy felt the wind blowing against his face, as he adjusted the precious straw hat on his head.

"Luffy!" A girl's voice broke the silence, not that he minded. Nami was his nakama so it didn't matter.

Thrusting a piece of paper in his hands, his thoughts of when their next lunch was went out of the windows. And speaking of which, this was an extremely exceptional case.

On the scrap of paper was,

**WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE**  
Monkey D. Luffy  
30,000,000 beli

"AWESOME!" He shouted, not bothering on the fact that Nami was standing right next to him, covering her ears.

"You're a wanted man now... Should you be more alert -" Luffy's stomach growled hungrily and she sighed.

Still not realising the Marines would be after him now, Luffy cheered at the top of his lungs at no one in particular.

"WAIT FOR ME ACE I'M GOING TO BE KING OF," A very frustrated Nami dragged him off by his ear before he could create a commotion. Certain onlookers were already staring abnormally long at the strange boy. Another scrap of paper had hit splat on the rubber man's face.

Immediately recognising the picture on the other wanted poster, he spotted Sanji and Zoro coming back from their respective trips.

"Oi Zoro, look it's Sky!" He prodded at the poster in his hands, a goofy grin etched on his face. Zoro didn't really trust his captain's eyes and took a closer look at the photograph.

Indeed, her blank expression made it no doubt, and her trademark silver black hair and her sitting on a cloud-like structure made it even more obvious.

Zoro's eyes trailed down the poster, reading the description Luffy wouldn't have read. (even if he could read)

_Cloud Wanderer Sky, formally a bounty hunter and current member of the __**WHITEBEARD PIRATES.**_

Luffy was momentarily distracted by the amount they placed on Sky's head. "_50,000,000 _beli?!" He pouted.

"Whitebeard Pirates... Who's she Luffy?" Nami asked in half awe, half curiosity.

"Why's hers higher than mine..." Luffy said, unable to accept reality. After Nami boxed him in the head, a lump appeared, making him answer her question.

"Me and Zoro met her in East Blue." Sanji had finally taken a look at the bounty poster, the smoke coming out from his cigar formed hearts. He was angered as to who bound her chest to make her so incredibly flat.

"Ero-cook. " Zoro said at the corner of his mouth, causing Sanji to lunge towards him to strangle then living daylights out of him.

"What did you _say_you shitty marimo?!"

"Did you ask her to join?" Nami asked, upon violently separating the two constantly fighting crew members. Sanji was suffering from a very bad nosebleed and Zoro cursed at the 'witch'.

"She's still going to be our nakama." He replied stubbornly, as Zoro got up, rubbing his head.

"Sky already has a crew, Luffy."

"No, she's going to join ours!" Zoro groaned at his captain's simple-mindedness, preferring to lie down and take a nice long nap. He could hear Usopp returning from his shopping trip, bragging about his wanted poster being printed in the process... saying it was over 100,000,000 beli...

Her tattoo had already proved his point but if his captain wouldn't change his mind, he certainly wasn't going against him.

"Sky... " He wondered if she finally found what she was looking for. Otherwise, it was none of his business.

* * *

_" Hello, are you Roronoa Zoro?"_

_"And you are...?"_

_"Sky." She extended out a hand in invitation, which he didn't take. Her smile got wider._

_"You're the infamous pirate hunter aren't you?"_

_"What if I am?"_

_"Let's work together!"_

_He scoffed, refusing her flatly. "I don't need company."_

_Zoro looked down at the thin girl standing in front of him, not afraid of his the scary aura he held. Either she was faking it or it was actual fearlessness._

_Or clueless more like._

_"I also don't provide protection." He gave her I'm-not-kidding-look._

_She gazed at him, amused by the answer. "Tch, I can take care of myself!"_

_"Really?" He grinned sceptically._

_Rising to the challenge, she said, "Want some proof?"_

_He shrugged, he had wanted to go drinking but this could be interesting enough._

_"You owe me a drink." He grunted._

_"Deal. "_

"_Little girl, you shouldn't be so confident around here." The bandits gave a malicious smirk, continuing to point their guns at the shop owner. _

_The bullets rebounded back to the men, much to their chagrin and horror._

"_She… she turned into a CLOUD!" Their faces grew paler, seemingly mortified. Unnerved, Sky rolled a ball of cloud in her hands, a mischievous glint in her eyes. _

"_How about a game of snowball?" They regarded her helplessly, and fled. _

_Zoro regarded her with more respect, giving a slight nod. "Not bad." _

_Flashing him a triumphant smile, she picked up a shiny revolver left behind, matter-of-factly pocketing it. The shopkeeper had thanked them profusely, offering more beer and food than both of them could refuse._

_Taking a bite out of the desert, Sky asked, "Why did you become a bounty hunter?" _

"_A part-time job." He answered between mouthfuls of swigging the bottle of beer. _

"_Then, I'll become the world's greatest swordsman!" He declared outright, slamming the sturdy bottle on the table with much force. Her grey eyes seemed to pierce through him, giving them a lot more depth than one would expect from this person. _

_He didn't usually pry into other's thoughts but this made him open his mouth in curiosity. "You?" _

"_Hmm, me? I was a child of a very famous pirate. Why not do the opposite?" She gave him a lopsided smile, full of truth yet not really. _

"_I see." This girl was a lot less air-headed than he thought. _

_Finally extending a hand, he said gruffly, "I accept." Taking the hand, she shook it willingly. _

"_YES!"  
_

* * *

Slapping her back, a man with messy black hair put two brown pieces of seemingly insignificant paper in front of her.

"Both of you have _bounties_!"

Tilting her head in confusion, she glanced at both posters ruefully.

"Huh… eh WHAT?!"

* * *

**Thank you all for the wait! I'm finally starting to reveal some of Sky's past and I've reached chapter 10! FINALLY! *fireworks***

**And as promised, the straw hats appear~ Love you all xx**

**Read&Review(:**


	11. Pinky Promise!

_"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice"_

**Chapter 11: Pinky Promise!**

Muttering incoherently under her breath, Sky tried moving. It didn't work. The headache was killing her; it felt as if it was trying to split open her head. She made a mental note to never ever get dead drunk again.

Orange juice seemed like a much safer choice. She imagined the crew and Pops laughing at her childish choice of drink.

Maybe she should just go some water. However, something was weighing her whole body down, as she lay immobilised amongst hangover pirates.

It gave her a chance to think of her new status as a pirate. Thinking of Luffy and Zoro. Were they doing well?

_Luffy must be thinking I would definitely join his crew now. _The mark was as clear as ever on the back of her palm, staring back at her. She sighed – it wasn't a sad one, just a normal exhalation of air.

_Funny how things turned out…_

Ace gave a light snore. She could easily turn into her cloud for to get out but seeing his peaceful face she knew she would feel bad afterwards. His whole body was dead upon her, although she wasn't crushed underneath him.

"Luffy..." He murmured. Sky smiled fondly, since she didn't want to wake him up from his slumber, it was best she went back to sleep. Since her right arm was free from his weight, she played with a few strands of his hair, having fun for a while in that way to entertain herself. Ace suddenly rolled sideways but dragged her along, his arms in a deadlock around her waist. Her face was now pressing against his chest, making her able to hear his steady heartbeat. Thump, thump, thump…

"Argh you Bakahead."

She was now lying on top of him, and she could feel the rising heat emitting from him. He was made of fire after all. A permanent contented look was etched on his face. It felt nice to be warm in the chilly morning, so Sky made no attempt to move. It wasn't like she could wriggle out of his grasp anyway.

Bored, she managed to climb up from the dead lock, examining the freckles on his face. Luffy didn't have freckles.

She was terribly thirsty however, and licked her chapped lips automatically. Being so close proximity to Ace gave her no qualms still.

Ace felt a slight brush of a tongue on his collarbone, sending chills up his spine. He was too tired to investigate.

By the time he fully awoke, Sky had already given up and gone back to sleep. Fully aware of the situation he was in, Ace chuckled and entangled himself from the skinny girl. She refused to let go.

"It's warm."

His body felt all hot and bothered (he should just get a shirt... The previous ones had all been burnt to crisps, unfortunately).

She was his nakama!

Too intimate...

Any closer his head tilted forward it would satisfy all his mindless inner arguments. He gently ruffled her cropped hair, taking care to disturb her slumber. If he went even closer...

His gentleman instinct chided him but his reckless pirate one cheered him on.

Who cares if you're drunk?

His lack of experience was all his little brother's fault. What else would you think of if you had to constantly save him? His mind was going crazy again - going as far as to blame his brother...Her head moved, tickling his neck.

Sky's cute expression was very distracting.

"Oh god, just kiss her if you like her so much." Thatch grumbled, holding his head up to get out of his hangover daze.

Silence was his only reply.

"Damn he has a hell lot of patience with that kid."

An extremely blaring horn broke the morning peacefulness. Ace scowled.

"MARINES SOUTH-WEST AHEAD!"

Flicking a random snot away, Whitebeard got up with no sense of urgency. "At this time? Those young brats sure are feisty." Climbing to the ship front with surprising speed, the captain stood, looking carefully at the oncoming Marine fleet.

"What should we do, Pops?" Marco was at his side within seconds, remaining a stoic expression. The Moby Dick was comparably bigger than most of the ships, but being outnumbered didn't even make them flinch. Not at all.

"They aren't here to attack us today." He only said knowingly.

An intimidating admiral was there, tall and ready, his white coat of justice fluttering behind him. The guns were not raised, however. Holding up a single wanted poster, he barked orders to his men to not let their guard down.

"Does one of your crew go by the name of _Sky?_" The coldness of his voice washed over the whole Moby Dick, sending tiny chills over the less experienced. Whitebeard chuckled darkly.

Raising a fist, he countered, "If so…?"

"You do know it is an intolerable crime to hide those who may have been related to Gol D. Roger. I'm sure you are familiar with that name, Whitebeard." The admiral was taunting, threatening but it did not have an effect on the strongest man in the sea.

"Aren't we already classified criminals, eh?" Marco humoured him.

Whitebeard spotted his daughter stand right in front of him, her fists balled up.

"I heard you were looking for _me_." She was uncharacteristically aloof, and Ace wondered if she switched personalities.

"In the name of justice, all evil must be perished." He eyed her like she was a piece of rotten meat, ready to be thrown away. Clenching her teeth, the grip on her revolver tightened. Then she realised it was no use getting hot-headed. That was what _he _wanted her to be in the first place. Her anger was replaced with unreadable smugness.

"Absolute justice? Absolute evil? Do you think either is possible?" Marco gaped at her.

"First we must destroy the seed." Blatantly ignoring her remark, he said it in an ominous, hard tone.

"Who do you think I am?"

Putting the poster even higher up in the air for all to see, he revealed his purpose. "The daughter of Sophie Blue, the only living descendent from Gol D Roger's crew!"

Before Sky could even fit a word in, someone said bitterly, "Rubbish. So to be involved with anything to do with _Roger _is a sin, huh?" Whitebeard shot Ace warning glances which he failed to notice.

Pulling up his sleeves, the admiral acknowledged that, saying "That is correct, _fire-fist Ace._"

"I think you'd better leave," A single flame lit up on Ace's finger, "Or you might find yourself stranded in the sea." Many of the lower-ranking marines gulped. Whitebeard would have punched that reckless son of his if Sky didn't spoke up.

"Hmm? I don't know any Sophie." She said mildly, admiring the revolver in her hands. The admiral never believed her for a second, taking an even firmer stand.

"The only family I have is around me now." Having a lack of evidence to arrest her right there and then, and not having enough resources to take on the Whitebeard crew, the admiral wisely headed on their way.

"We'll see." The ship took its leave, with the admiral flinging the poster down into the sea. It floated gently around, before a giant fish gobbled it up unknowingly.

"I wish you'd shut your arrogant trap." A certain tattoo artist had found her way beside Sky, coolly making her presence.

Looking a little astonished, Sky's eyes sparkled. "Nicole…"

"What?"

"YOU'RE SO COOL!"

"… Yeah right…"

"And you!" She stepped on his foot – hard.

"Ouch! What the hell!"

He just tried to save her and she returned the favour by humiliating him? _Nice. _

"You reckless idiot! And I don't want a dead Ace! I want a living, breathing one!" It took a full minute to register what she just said. There she was standing there, with her silver streaks illuminating in the sunlight, telling her that she _worried _for him. Of course Ace thought she was joking.

"I won't die that easily!" He snorted, looking a little stung as she underestimated his abilities.

"_What are you crying for?!"_

"_But Ace, I thought you died…"_

"_You idiot, how could I leave my little brother and die? I promise. I'll never die."_

"Pinky promise?"

Realising her grey eyes bore into his skull, he said resolutely, "Pinky promise," sticking out his little finger to hook with hers.

"And…you're just saying that because nobody else tolerates your idiotic nonsense."

Ace looked through half-lidded eyes, preparing for a fist to come in contact with his face.

Nothing…?

"Hmm, okay." Amazingly, she was already half-dragging a protesting Nicole to see the new fish king she caught.

Stunned, Ace turned towards Marco and Whitebeard for much-needed advice. "I really need… a devil fruit to read minds."

"Kiddo, I'm sure what is in her mind is exactly the same as what comes out."

Watching the naive pirate girl tentatively poke the flapping fish king's eyeball, he sighed audibly.

"You're probably right."

* * *

**I wonder if you people actually like this fic... But I'll continue it anyway :) xx**


	12. A Whitebeard Christmas

"_Happiness is only real when shared"_

**Chapter 12: A Whitebeard Christmas **

Being in the middle of the sea is one thing – Sky would never have missed an opportunity to receive (and give) presents. It was two days to Christmas! Christmas was for everyone, pirates or not, although Sky highly doubt that Santa would remember pirates…

Whether she was wanted, treated as a criminal to the rest of the world, she was certain that this Christmas would have to be special, whether the crew agreed to her ideals was another thing.

"Christmas? Well yeah we usually have a party…" Ace told her when bombarded by questions of how the Whitebeard crew celebrated.

"But you have parties almost every day, so what's the difference?" Sky asked him helplessly and decided that he had no Christmas spirit _at all_.

"Why would Santa care about a bad kid like me?" He joked, the smile not really reaching his eyes. This was bad, Sky was insistent that Christmas a time to be happy.

The bleak prospect did not deter her from trying however, _she _was going to make everyone get into the Christmas mood – and Marco was going to help her, since Ace's moodiness that day did nothing to help.

"Do whatever you want…" Marco said lazily, poring through a few stacks of maps in front of him, "I don't mind having fire-proof clothes as presents", he grinned back as a ball of cloud exploded in his face.

"You wear the same damn thing every day." She pointed out, getting out in a huff.

It was at that point where Sky realised she was on her own, if she wanted a good Christmas, she would have to work hard to get it.

The constant drilling, explosions and cursing coming from the women's quarters was vaguely interesting, as for the fact that Ace and Marco highly suspected that she was up to something. She wouldn't have skipped breakfast and lunch – Sky was too skinny for her own good.

Balancing a plate of fried rice in one hand and a bottle of water in the other, Ace made up his mind to force-feed Sky, or she might possibly die from dehydration or accidental starvation, no way was he going to allow that to happen. He couldn't even think of skipping _one _meal for a day, he'd probably go bonkers.

He knocked on the door, followed by a soft 'go away' coming from the room. A nurse passing by whispered, "She hasn't gone out since yesterday night, wouldn't let anyone in."

"She sure is stubborn about Christmas." Ace muttered, making a mental note to get her something out of good will – and her efforts. He had thought of getting her something the moment she mentioned Christmas anyway, but that wasn't the point.

"Sky, I'm coming in to give you food, please don't die on me." He said loudly, kicking open the door whilst breaking the lock.

Buried under tons of wrapping paper and unknown instruments, Sky was lying with her head on the table, apparently given up from exhaustion.

Looking at the small smile present on her face, Ace placed the food beside her and hastily scribbled a note beside it. Patting her head, he snorted at the utter mess she had made of her room – a good thing she didn't share it with anyone else.

Upon waking up from her sudden fainting spell, Sky noticed the note beside the food.

'_Eat or die. I can't find my present.'_

_-Ace_

Smirking a little, Sky said to no one in particular "I'm still making yours, ba-ka." She had inquired subtly on Ace's birthday a week ago with Marco.

It was a day before Christmas and the men had started putting up elaborate decorations – evidently both Marco and Ace had lied to her, with good intentions of course. Since she had relied on the food Ace delivered every day; not coming out from the room, it just made the surprise even better.

Finally, a bleary-eyed but satisfied Sky unlocked the door (after forcing Ace to fix it), walking unsteadily out towards the dining hall with a whole load of boxes in arm. The decorations nearly caused her to dance in delight but the boxes made it hard for her to move in the first place – better save the joy for later.

Slamming down the heavy load on a relatively empty table, she shouted for everyone to hear, "MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS!" It was then she noticed they had prepared a _Christmas _feast – those liars!

"Merry Christmas." Ace, who was sitting a few seats away said innocently.

Before he could react, Sky flung a dozen boxes at different directions, hitting several people smack in the face, stomach, or for the lucky ones, their arms.

"OI!"

"THE HELL!"

"Ah sorry." Marco was holding up a lumpy package in bemusement. "Clothes?"

"Fireproof."

"Don't open them till boxing – oh forget it." She shook her head when she caught sight of the already half-open presents lying on the table. Don't they know the traditions? Guess not…

"Okay pops here's yours!" Sky presented a gigantic-bottle like sculpture wrapped in blue paper personally to Whitebeard. He was very pleased, from the looks of it; it was certainly some form of sake. That kid had some sense after all.

After all the whole celebration, many of them ended up being drunk again, flopping down on the tables as Whitebeard fell asleep after downing half the bottle of sake in one go.

"Hey, come with me." Ace tugged her out of the hall, all the way to a deserted area of the ship.

"Don't worry, I got you something."

"And so did I." He answered, making Sky smile even wider.

"Really? I thought you didn't care for Christmas!"

"You thought wrong." Rummaging in the deep pockets of his pants, he drew out a silver chain. Sky, who couldn't contain her curiosity, took the chain from him.

At the end it was a mini glass case, with a tiny burning flame inside. Fascinated, she gawked at the flame, thoroughly immersed.

"Woah…"

"I'm not finished yet." He took the chain from her hands, going behind her.

"Where are you…" She felt his hands brushing against her neck, fastening the chain around her neck so that the glass case dangled in front of her.

Fingering it in her hands, Sky asked, "Is this your flame?"

"Huh? Well sort of… It kind of serves as a vivre card, except that it can't point you in the direction of the person…"

"This is sooooo awesome THANKS ACE!" She slammed right into him, hugging him with all her strength.

Smiling slightly, no longer surprised by her spontaneity, he patted her head. "I like yours too, a snow globe huh?"

"I thought you'll be able to see snow properly since I assume you always melt them." She said logically.

"Ah how thoughtful of you."

"Oh shut up."

_At a corner…_

"How come Sky has the best present?" Thatch complained, tearing up with emotion.

"Is that even a question?" Marco's sarcastic reply came right after. The two spies never failed to watch Ace's unrealised affection for the newcomer. It was rare to see the tough Ace being all nice to a girl – this was a once in a life-time opportunity. Marco wasn't quite sure why he was dragged into this by the cook ('that's cos' you care about Ace too!')

"Neh, what's Marco and Thatch doing there?"

"_Uh oh."_

"BASTARDS!"

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed this Christmas Special! It has nothing to do with the current plot (Okay maybe a little but I'm not telling!) :D It's a little late since Christmas just passed, but happy new year guys! I might even write something for flame boy's birthday~ We'll see!**

**Oh by the way just to clear some things up: The admiral in the previous chapter doesn't know Ace's parentage, so he wouldn't suspect Ace at that point of time you see. **

**BYE!**


	13. Gol D Ace

"_Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye"_

**Chapter 13: Gol D. Ace **

A faint smile was seen on the veteran pirate's face as she stood next to her captain.

"When are you turning yourself in?" The clinks of drink glasses created a rather peaceful atmosphere.

A peaceful mood to make the last decision of his life as a captain. And he wanted to make it memorable. Flashy announcements make remembrances so much more exciting.

Today, he only felt like downing all the alcohol he could lay his hands on, ignoring the disease raging a war in his system.

"You know." It was more of a statement that a question.

"Yeah, the Pirate King's in love, who would have thought?" She swung her arms over the armchair, stealing a lazy glance at him.

He only laughed. It was tinged with bitter happiness - joy that wouldn't last his lifetime.

"Who's that lucky girl huh, Roger?" The glass in her hands was now empty, the golden skull earrings dangling from her ears made it clear she was no ordinary woman. So did the shiny dagger hanging from her neck.

His first mate was somewhere nearby, listening attentively. "I'm sure you'd like to know Rayleigh." The broad grin spreading over his face made him lot healthier-looking than his real state.

"Portgas D. Rouge. "

"Just like you to pick a woman with the D as well." Rayleigh no longer hid his presence, looking bemused.

"How about that commander on Whitebeard's ship?" Roger threw the question at the woman beside him.

"No! That was some fling..." She replied defensively, dangerously glaring at the two chuckling men before her.

"Rouge thinks if he's a boy she'll call him Ace and if she's a girl, Anne."Roger said dreamily.

" They might never get to know us. " He knew what she meant by 'they'. He gave another one of his carefree shrugs.

" An unborn child holds no sin. " While Rayleigh remained passive throughout their childish bickering, he thought of what could have made two of the most adventurous people settle down.

Gagging on her drink, she wiped away some spilt sake on her chin, "Freaking bastard…"

"KANPAI!" The whole crew lifted their glasses, each with their own bottle of happiness. They were pirates, the freest of them all, and for that sole reason alone they deserved to party.

That would have been the last time Gol D. Roger clinked glasses with his nakama.

* * *

With a growing stomach, even then she knew she had to take this risk.

Landing on the tiny island at the end of the Grand Line, the boat bumped gently to shore as she hopped off, careful not to hit anything.

"Do you know where Portgas D. Rouge is?'" A passerby walked by, but with one look at her face he avoided her like the plague.

"The perks of being wanted." She said dryly.

"What business do you have with her?"

"Well well, if it isn't Garp." The burly man was not in his usual Marine uniform but instead, a neat black suit that attracted very little attention. He knew _her,_ the most infamous and well-known woman on Roger's crew. This time, however, he didn't look as if he was seeking a fight.

That would explain the suit.

Spotting the protruding stomach of hers, his expression changed from initial hostility to curiosity. The sudden change of heart made him lead her begrudgingly to a homely cottage. By her standards, it seemed to a stark contrast to whatever accommodations in the sea.

A timid young lady opened the door upon knocking, stealing furtive glances at the pirate but nodding, letting them in.

"A boy… he shall be called Gol D. Ace, after his father." With a small bundle in her arms, a pale woman was clutching it close to her heart, smiling weakly. She radiated the confidence that the pirate was sure what made him in love.

Love was a strong word.

But she knew Rouge's time was about to be up.

Knowing when to make her disappearance, she slid through the door entrance, just when a soft voice stopped her in her tracks.

"What would be the name of yours, Sophie?" Rouge thought it was a rather gentle name for such a great pirate.

Shifting the weight on her feet, she stared intensely at her belly, now imagining her future baby tugging at her shirt and making little noises. She smiled, pausing at the doorway.

"Sky." And then she was gone.

* * *

**Ain't that a surprise? XD **

**Woohoo another chapter! I'm kind of neglecting my monologues though... next update will probably be Luffy's Monologue:)**

**Hope you guys enjoy this:D Thanks for the reviews *_***


	14. Not so forgotten enemies

_"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."_

**Chapter 14: Not so forgotten enemies**

_Sky stared vacantly at the morsel of food right at her reach – if she could actually reach it, that is, without restraints. Her clothes were scratched and ragged, giving her a look of a shipwrecked islander. Sighing once again, she leaned against the stone-hard wall, feeling the rattles of the chains cackle at her plight._

_"Why aren't you crying?!"_

_"Go on, cry for your pitiful existence!"_

_"If you beg for the food, we might feed you!"_

_They had jeered, scorned, and mocked her, to little effect. Sky had long learnt that to survive, you had to take insults in your stride – and being a bounty hunter meant you had a whole gang of pirates coming straight for you for revenge. The law wouldn't even help her now. Not that it did at any point of time, however. These handcuffs were a bit of a problem; sadly she had forgotten that kairoseki would nullify her powers._

_"Hmm… I still haven't gotten the present." She was rather miffed that her task for the day was disrupted by a matter like this. It hasn't gone to her head that she was stuck in a cell god-knows-where, chained by sea stone handcuffs, and with no den den mushi._

* * *

At the women's quarters, they were all huddled in the spacious room, discussing on a certain commander's oncoming birthday. Sky was somehow pulled in, although the nearby buffet table was _very distracting_. And she wanted to practice her marksmanship…

"What do you think I should get Ace for his birthday?" Sky made herself comfortable on a plush chair.

"He'll like whatever you give him." Nicole naturally answered.

Grimacing, Sky said, "That's not answering my question…"

"Uhh Sky…?" One of the nurses tapped Sky on the shoulder. Obviously the rumours of Ace and her had spread far and wide across the entire Moby Dick, still she couldn't comprehend why Ace would fall for a fifteen-year-old.

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel your heartbeat get fast when you're near Ace?"

"Or the blood rushing to your face?"

"OR when he worries about you~" A lot of them squealed, their faces lit up in animatedly.

"What's so exciting about falling in love anyway?"

"You mean you've _never _been in love?!"

"I spend my life chasing after pirates – do I look like I have the time?"

"Oh right…"

"You're fifteen aren't you?" Nicole grinned at their wrong estimation.

Raising an eyebrow, Sky answered, "I'm eighteen."

"HUH?!"

Clapping her hands in realisation, Yuki exclaimed, "You're 18… ah ha! This is a mask you're wearing but in actual fact you're totally head over heels for guys!"

"You're afraid that if you show your true side you'll feel weak!"

"Your dream was to have a knight in shining armour sweep you off your – "

Clearing her throat, Sky had a look of pure boredom on her face. "… What are you even saying…?"

The women ogled at her indifferent manner. "We give up… Just continue being asexual…"

Looking at Nicole for help, she said mournfully, "But I'm not a micro-organism…" Chuckling, her new-found friend simply shrugged.

"He's smoking hot!" One of the blonde nurses blurted out.

They gasped, looking at Sky's reaction.

"I'm sorry that just came out…" The girl said shamefully. It was a norm among the women quarters to have a crush or two on the commanders.

"Well, actually he is."

"HUH?!"

"He's fire, isn't he?" Sky was polishing the necklace Ace gave her, as though she were stating the obvious.

"You know, I'm a little jealous." Yuki smiled slightly, glancing at Sky.

"Why?" They chorused.

Avoiding their interested stares, she said shyly, "Well, it's just that I've had a massive crush on Ace for a long time… and I'd like him to notice me…even just a little…" Her cheeks were scarlet, in which Sky responded with an impassive look.

"Hmm… if you spend less time fawning over him here and go to confess to him outside… Things would be different!" Sky suggested.

"That's a… great idea! Thank you Sky!"

"… You're welcome…?" Yuki had already rushed out of the room, bouncing all the way out in her newfound hope and confidence.

Everyone looked accusingly at Sky. Nicole blatantly ignored the whole commotion by coolly sipping her tea.

"I didn't do _anything_!"

Ten minutes of awkward silence later, Yuki came crashing in, banging into the coffee table in her urgency. Grabbing her tea in a flash, Nicole kept it safe in her hands.

"Eh you got rejected?!" Sky asked indignantly.

"SKY!" Everyone gave her the 'shut-up-this-instant' glare.

"Ace… Ace said that… he's going to finish his adventure…" She sniffled, Sky was unable to tell whether she was happy or dejected, "before he cares… about… relationships…"

"Do you want some cookies?" Sky said out of the blue, patting her back. "Thank you." Yuki took one, taking a small bite as she watched Sky popped a few into her mouth at one go. Although she came to think of Yuki as rather scatter-brained, Sky came to like her.

"Thesh are nishe!" Chocking on a cookie, Sky swallowed hard. "These are nice!"

* * *

It was then Sky found herself landed on a winter island, shivering from the freezing chill. Ace had draped his coat around her shoulders.

"Co-o-o-l-d…" Sky's teeth continuous chattering disallowed her from speaking normally.

"wh-a-a-t a-r-r-e yo-u goin-g to w-e-e-e-ar?" Spitting out the words through gritted teeth, Ace couldn't help but wrap his arm around the frigid girl. Her cold fingers clutching his coat worried him a little – he should've known, scrawny people like her would be prone to cold temperatures.

"Maybe you should stay at the ship…"

He was met with a peeved expression. "Are you crazy! I'm not co-o-o-l-d and I'm going to explore that i-s-l-l-land!" Wrenching herself from him in denial, Sky hugged the coat for warmth and took off.

Glad that her plan worked, Sky jogged around the island, occasionally stopping at small shops to search for something. The icy wind was biting into her face – the idiot had forgotten to wear at least a hat to cover her head.

"Once I find his present, I'm out of here." She thought to herself, darting from shop to shop. And get back to Ace as soon as possible, him being an inborn heater and all had its advantages.

"Stop right there _Sky_." Burly, stocky men blocked her path, cloaked entirely in black. Already annoyed with the troublesome weather, Sky said shortly, "Sorry, I'm in a hurry." Briefly distracted by the cold breeze, someone clicked handcuffs on her wrists positioned behind her.

_Crap crap crap._

She recognised them now, kicking the one in front right in the groin. He stumbled, wiping the grin off his face. They were the pirates she sent off to prison just a few weeks back - the Marines must have failed in their job.

"Playing hard huh?" He asked dangerously, aiming a punch, with Sky dodging it just in time by ducking.

_No good… kairoseki cuffs are as hard as diamond. _

Judging by her contorted expression that she was out of luck, a hooded man came from behind, hitting the back of her head with a bat, knocking her unconscious. They stuffed her in a sack, dragging it into the back of a van.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my character Sky! And some OCs... :) **

**READ AND REVIEW(:**

**I changed my picture of this story by the way:D**


	15. Lost and Found

_It's__friendship.__Friendship, just a perfect__blendship_

**Chapter 15: Lost and Found**

_Meanwhile…_

"It's dusk, shouldn't we look for Sky?" The only member missing from the ship was rather worrisome. Nicole and Marco knew she was finding a present and tried to stall for time, yet it couldn't have taken that long to find… Ace didn't need to know the details.

Marco stroked his chin, frowning. "Maybe she got lost."

Snatching a satchel, Nicole swung it over her shoulder and was about to climb down the ship when a hand grabbed her elbow.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Marco looked her, as though he were trying to be telepathic.

"Too late to stop _him_huh?" Nicole nodded towards the disappearing figure in front. That reckless freckles had done it again.

No one was in sight. Running his fingers through his hair, Ace gave a frustrated sigh. The area was deserted – most people had returned to the warmth of their homes, while the shops were calling it a day. He had this nagging feeling that she wouldn't be in clear vision of this area… perhaps…

It was a relief that the island was rather neat, the houses situated in tidy rows as it was easy to spot what was out of place. Crunching through the snow, he was sure he was at the correct destination. Standing in front of him was a dilapidated shack; worn-down and looked as if a strong wind blew in the whole building would collapse.

"Did you see the tattoo?" A fearful looking man huddled together with three others, both sporting the same terrified face.

Ace quickly hid behind the wall, deciding not to reveal himself just yet. This could prove useful.

"It's definitely Whitebeard's!" At the mention of Pops, Ace plastered himself against the wall, straining to hear the hushed voice.

* * *

_Her apathetic stance confused them; a single human spending eternity in a dark cell, wasn't a quick death the better choice? The key to the cell creaked open with slow deliberation, as one of the men stepped in, snickering at the handcuffed prisoner._

_"How you wished you could have someone to save you!" He laughed, while she looked at him as if he were ludicrous. Or mad, maybe both. Thoroughly insulted, the pirate forced her to look down by pulling her hair with a jolt. She neither betrayed emotion, nor any form of discomfort, minding her own business by admiring the dust particles on the floor._

_"So, what should we do to you?"_

_"Do I look like a mind reader?" Sky drawled lightly, as soon as he released hold of her hair. _

_An uncannily wretched smile crept up to his lips, as he breathed into her face. "Do you know what we can do to you?" _

_"… Once again, I'm no mind reader."_

_"Oh, so you'd like me to show you?" His voice dipped into a kind of rough edge, as he immediately started by stroking her leg. The lack of response to the touch was unnerving for the pirate._

_"Should I be writhing in absolute joy?" Her candid reply made him clench his teeth as his subordinates tried to subdue him. _

_His hands tugged up her shirt with such ferocity that it tore at the sleeves, showing her a large portion of her midriff. The others whistled, it was norm for them to play with their prey before they ate. _

_Searching her face for any betrayal of weakness, he stroked her cheek, which she went to venomously bite his finger. He yelled, glaring at the unflinching Sky._

_"Aren't you ashamed? Very soon, you'll regret it…" The captain was about to continue when one of his crew members shouted in surprise._

_"Her back! And arm!"_

_"Is that…?"_

_"WHITEBEARD!" _

_"Hmm yeah, he's my Oyaji." Sky added._

* * *

Her bleak prospect was soon getting to her head. She couldn't see a single spot of light, being blindfolded after taking a woeful glance at the food her kidnappers had mockingly placed in front of her. This included the key they had thrown somewhere near the food, Sky thought it was a key; it had the mental cling sound… They weren't coming back, not after seeing the tattoo.

Losing track of time, Sky cheered herself up by thinking of food (not such a brilliant idea). It was terribly cold here…

"SKY! ARE YOU THERE?!" A loud cry rang through the shack, as Sky continued humming senseless tunes to herself, ignorant to the shouts.

_'One sea king, two sea king, three sea king, come on Sky, sea king for dinner…"_

She heard a sharp intake of breath. Ah, a human had come to visit? Wait… a human… help… Ace's voice…?!

A hoarse whisper came to her ears. "Sky… Is that you?" She heard the bars being burnt, footsteps coming closer to her.

Ace couldn't believe his eyes. Sky was knelt down on the floor, as well as a pair of handcuffs restricting her wrists and ankles. And hell he just heard her _singing _to herself.

"Oh hi Ace, I recognise your voice." She said through ragged breaths, giving him a serene smile.

"If you can find that key… it's somewhere near the food I think…" Her voice was composed, with no hint that she'd just been kidnapped and forced into a cell. The blindfold was removed, as Sky blinked at the light finally entering her eyes.

The cuffs were unlocked within seconds, as Sky relished the fact that she could finally stretch her arms and legs.

"What happened to you?" He asked in a low voice, in which she gave him a weak smile. Hoisting her up so that he could warm some of her frost-bitten body, he had an unusually dark look on his face.

**S**

I was positively startled that Ace had come all the way just to find _me_. To be honest, I was extremely touched. I didn't like depending on people… It was risky and more than often temporary.

"_And _what happened to your _clothes_?" He took a few lose pieces of cloth in his hand, till I realised the current unruly state I was in. My shirt had been shredded to half of its size, as little red blood droplets dotted it. Geez.

"The pirate tore it." I winced when I made an effort to crack my back. Not good.

Ace remained rigid in front of me, wordlessly patching up my more severe wounds with lose pieces of clothing strewn around the floor. "Aren't you mad?"

I smiled cryptically, "No." Why would I?

**E**

"You're funny." Ace could never quite fathom Sky's working mind – it was like being in a maze with a thousand spirals, loops and dead ends.

"I'm no saint, Ace." Sky read his mind (shockingly).

She interjected, "He didn't hurt… friends…" Ace looked pointedly at her injuries.

"I'm a _pirate, _it's a given that I'll have them." Sky patted his head, smoothing her fingers over the fabric of his hat.

"I thought I was gonna die!" Ace noticed her previous tough stance faltering, as Sky heaved a huge sigh of relief. He had touched a nasty bruise on her arm, now examining it closely.

"You're such an idiot." Ace muttered.

"I wouldn't have lost if they didn't put those handcuffs on me…"

Expecting him to give her a sarcastic remark, Ace instead placed a hand under her knees and back, carrying her up in bridal style. "I know."

"I can walk by myself!"

Pointing at her twisted ankle, Ace said, "No you can't."

Falling in a heap in front of the cell when Ace let go, Sky grumbled. "Pathetic… pathetic…"

Her eyes looked a little teary when she stared at Ace. "Thanks…"

"Ho are you _crying_?"

"No I'm not."

"Don't cry Sky." He humoured her.

"I'M NOT YOU BAKAHEAD –" Coughing a bit of blood, Ace clasped a hand over mouth, preventing her from saying anything else.

"Give it back." Her eyes gazed at him seriously.

"Give what?"

"My pride." Her voice cracked.

Adjusting her weight, he changed the topic, "Speaking of which… you asked Yuki to confess to me today?"

Sky averted his eyes. "…No…"

"Liar."

The hand remained on her mouth so she could not protest.

"I already have an idiot to take care of."

"Luffy?" There she was again, naively assuming.

Smiling wryly, he looked ahead. "Whatever you say, i-d-i-o-t."

**A**

_Since when did I become a sucker for idiots? I must be on the verge of becoming one..._

**E**

"Next time, I'll be the one to save you." Sky said determinedly, causing a chuckle to escape from Ace.

Ace snorted over-confidently, "As if I'd need saving..."

* * *

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE^^**

**Hooray! This took me a pretty long time - I didn't want to be overly strong (unrealistic) or terribly weak damsel in distress (annoying), AND yes I've finally moved the plot! (cheers) Oh I wonder what Sky got for Ace? **

**I've doing some overshadowing, if you've noticed ;D If not... that's even better~**

**Oh and I've started using the old style of A S E  to represent the character's POV, E is 3rd person (still preferring 3rd person though)**


	16. Beards and Beetroots

**Chapter 16: Beards and Beetroots**

_"Never. Ever. Judge a book by its cover."_

**S**

The blood rushing down to my face wasn't exactly the best feeling at the break of dawn. There was a valid reason for this – for doing handstand push ups before breakfast. (Technically, after eating I would have neither the determination to be doing this)

**E**

Hardcore. That was what it looked like on the middle of the deck where there was a girl doing vertical push ups at sunrise.

"51… 52… 53… Pineapples… 55… Mushrooms… 56…" Of course, Sky had to be encouraging her regime with foods.

There was a loud crash which Sky pointedly ignored. Honestly, it was a regular occurrence that a certain clumsy idiot would accidentally burn furniture, sleepwalk and make a gigantic hole at the door.

"Gah… Sky… the hell are you doing?" Pushing the door open, Ace stared groggily at the usually laid back Sky working out.

Pausing at mid-push up, she said ruefully, "Doing push-ups?"

"Wait… YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LEAVE THE INFIRMY!" Ace burst out, grabbing her by the legs and dragging her along.

"I'm fine dude…"

"Even if I do this?" He poked her at the ribs, looking at her owlishly.

Her eyebrow twitched. "Ye-ah."

"You're a terrible liar. Just like Luffy."

"I am not like that idiot."

"You two have similarities."

A curly-haired man with a dark skin tone approached them with a toothy grin. "Why hullo Ace… and Sky?"

"Hi Teach!" Ace grinned. Meanwhile, Sky had resorted to drawling a disheartened 'hi', wanting to aim at Ace's weak spot.

"Eh, who are you?" She realised he was not one she recognised.

Throwing back his head in laughter, Teach gave her a feral smile. "I'm Marshall D. Teach, nice ta meet you."

"Ah… the D…"

"Hmm…?" Teach did not hear her apparent statement.

Sky beamed, extending a free hand towards him, "Good to know you, Teach."

Afterwards, Sky finally obliged to go back to the infirmary, where she shot Ace a questioning look.

"Who's Teach?"

"Oh, he's under my division."

"Right… you're the commander… slipped my mind…" She said candidly, earning a vehement expression from Ace.

"He's a funny guy… rather ambitious-less…" Ace added jokingly.

Sky tilted her head in confusion, where she had thought otherwise. "Why do you say that?"

"He turned down the position for 2nd division commander, not exceptionally goal-oriented." Shrugging, Ace was curious to see Sky's grey orbs drifting to the retreating figure of Teach.

"You seem particularly interested." He remarked.

Turning her attention back to Ace, Sky shook her head reluctantly. "I just don't think he's ambitious-less."

They were interrupted by the click of the infirmary door being opened as the nurse hooked Sky in with an accusing glare. _"You're supposed to rest!"_

Ace gave her an 'I-told-you-so' look while Sky was unnerved. Obediently following the nurse, she plopped herself on one of the sick beds with an expectant sigh.

"Ace-san, you can leave now." The nurse motioned towards the door.

"Can I help?"

She shrugged, handing Ace some antiseptic cream and such medical products which Ace hardly recognised – often enough he was treated, he was close to death anyway.

Sky glowered at him. "Why are you _still _here?"

"Hurtful…."

Sky was interrupted by a wad of cotton wool being pressed on her bare shoulder, giving a stinging sensation. Ace gave a half-triumphant, half-worried smile as he noticed her discomfort.

"Does it hurt?"

"No." Noticing his pointed gaze, her expression softened and she gave a small nod.

"Maybe just a _little_…? Happy?"

The nurse bustled around, re-bandaging some of the wounds whilst nagging Sky and finally threatened to take away her food supply if she didn't stay still. That sort of did the trick.

"Alright…" Sky picked up some of the bandages, spinning it around her head.

"Look, I'm a mummy!"

Both Ace and the nurse were un-amused. "How old are you?"

"19?"

"Forget that I asked." Ace muttered, giving himself a mental image of Luffy doing the exact same thing.

As soon as the nurse left, Ace took a seat next to Sky with an unreadable expression.

"Have we met before?"

Leaning against Ace casually, Ace tried not to let her cool skin distract him.

Sky darted up all of a sudden, crashing against the bed railing. "WE HAVE!"

"Sky! Are you _alright_?"

She rubbed her arm, "I suppose it was… ten years ago?! AND LUFFY!"

"I heard a crack when you banged into that railing…" Ace said seriously, until Sky shook his shoulders in excitement.

"That last time I saw you, you were this angry, rude, pissy, violent guy – who taught you manners anyway?"

He swallowed. "Was I really that bad…?"

Eventually thinking of the vague memory, Sky told him brightly, "Yup."

"Makino…"

"What?"

Gesturing in the air, Ace mumbled, "She was the one who taught me… manners…"

"Ah. Was she a saint?"

"No!"

"Then?"

"She was a bartender!" Ace chuckled, thinking of the ever-patient Makino until Sky said something out of the blue.

"Oh. Did you have a crush on her?"

With his beetroot face, Sky collapsed on the bed in laughter.

"I bet she's pretty." She smirked, hugging her ribs while in a spasm.

"Shut up!"

The only thing Ace couldn't do – he could fight monsters, sea kings, vicious pirates, rubber idiots, drink till there's no tomorrow – was realise that…

He was a total complete idiot at love.

(And he still hasn't found out about that part)

* * *

**Oh dear recently I haven't been updating ANYTHING lately I'm so sorry guys (I'm still alive!) I hope to bring forward the plot :)**

**And as for my poll on my page, I realised you guys DO like the monologues but they do take a while to write, but they'll be updated I promise:)**

**Hope you enjoyed this! THANKYOU~**


	17. Change

**Chapter 17: Change**

"_The more you try to make them grounded, the more the free-spirited would fly further."_

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

Grabbing her mother's hand tightly, the girl treaded through the forests of Mt Colubo, unafraid of the various animalistic noises coming from all directions. They finally stopped upon sighting a group consisting of a buff old grandfather and three rowdy kids fighting over the last piece of meat.

The smallest of the group noticed their approach, asking his grandfather curiously, "Jii-chan, who're they?"

At the same time, the little girl peeked from behind her mother, staring at the odd trio of children. "Who're they?" One of the older black haired boys was looking at her distrustfully, as if holding a non-existent grudge.

"Look Garp, she's going to be a pirate!" Sophie gently pushed her daughter to a clearer view of the seasoned marine.

"WHAT?!" Garp growled in disbelief and horror. The retired pirate covered her mouth decidedly. "Wait… maybe I shouldn't have told you that…" Yet, the youngest of them all, and probably the most talkative, cheered in glee.

"SO AM I!"

Garp boxed the boy's ears as though he were punching a full-grown man. Sophie winced involuntarily – even Sky's training didn't come close. "NO! You're going to become a proud navy soldier!" Stubbornly, his grandson stuck out his tongue in denial.

"Don't wanna!"

Before Garp could lay another fist of love on his beloved grandson, the older boy pushed past, standing protectively in front. "Don't hurt Luffy!" Sophie watched in mild bemusement, asking Garp who they were.

"My grandsons – Luffy and Ace. And their friend." The marine grunted, sitting back down to enjoy the warm fire. Sophie knew one of them had to be Portgas D. Ace, the baby boy she met ten years ago.

"So you're the son of Roger." Sophie said to Ace, guessing correctly, although she didn't quite imagine Roger's son to be as vengeful and serious, though the bad-tempered part was somewhat correct.

Her smile was reminiscent. "I was his nakama…"

Ace glowered at the taller woman, "Don't mention that name." Sophie's gaze turned inquisitive, as she turned to Garp.

"What's wrong with him?"

Picking his teeth, Garp remained neutral. "He has the reputation of the son of the devil, what did you expect?"

Sky plucked up the courage to speak up, "What's wrong with being Roger's son?"

"Everyone hates you." Ace spat out, looking distastefully at Sky.

Sky crossed her arms defensively. "I don't hate you. And that's a stupid reason to hate people."

"I don't need sympathy from people like you."

"I wasn't sympathising! Bakahead."

Sky's mother stepped between them before the heated argument ensued into a fight, using her best 'stern' voice. "Watch is Ace, just cos you're the son Roger doesn't mean you pick a fight with my daughter!"

"What brings you here anyway?" Garp asked warily, for as far as he was concerned, pirates and bandits on the same island was _not _good news.

"I'm preparing Sky for the seas." Sophie puffed up like a mother hen, as Garp controlled the urge to lecture, or rather arrest Sophie right there and then for ruining the future of a bright young girl. But right now, he was not on job and besides, Sophie would have evaded escape already.

"Do you want to be in my crew?" Luffy laughed, finding the whole commotion very entertaining

"Are you a pirate?" Sky found Luffy's friendly nature much more welcoming than Ace's taciturn manner.

Luffy, proud to show off even in front of his grandfather, said loudly, "Not yet, not until I'm 17!"

"You're going to make both of them Marines?" Sophie asked Garp, looking at the two boys doubtfully.

She cocked her head childishly, "FAT CHANCE!" Garp threw a punch that she dodged, instead felling a tree.

Before she left, she eyed Ace for awhile. "Pirate huh? Roger would have been proud."

"Ace, I don't think you should hurt girls…" The blonde boy grabbed Ace, trying to be the peace maker.

"Stop holding me, Sabo!"

"I'm going to be a pirate! BETTER THAN YOU! Wait and see." She glared daggers at Ace, the pure determination startled Ace a little. Typically, Luffy chuckled and Sabo had a weak smile at her statement.

Sophie sighed, though it was gratifying to see her daughter's outburst. "Let's go Sky."

"Ya know, you should stop being so moody all the time." Sky noted, following behind her mother.

* * *

Sky sat straight up on her bed, throwing her blankets onto the ground. Hah, Ace must have learnt the art of self-control now; he seemed to not have that awfully hostile presence when around people in general.

"Well, people change." She muttered, highly suspecting that Luffy had something to do with that 'change'. The moon shone, illuminating her surroundings despite it being in the middle of the night. For some reason, she picked up her blankets and placed them quietly back onto the bed, instead slipping barefooted onto the ground.

Her padded footsteps ensured the silence of the night, as Sky momentarily shut her eyelids to enjoy the cool breeze. It was comforting, as per say the daily chaos on a pirate ship, and no noise of partying for all had either fainted from drinking or simply turned in.

Someone was approaching. Instincts told her to remain still, for that someone was most certainly not looking for her. The moon had a sudden eerie quality to it, as while it shines, nobody knows exactly what it saw, for the moon does not tell you such things.

She felt for her revolver, tucked tightly at her belt. It was a norm for her to keep it there – life was unpredictable in that sense, though she liked it that way. Sky could see him now, a hooded figure (hooded people are always up to no good, apparently), but he couldn't hide the wholesome beard that engulfed his face.

"_He turned down the position for 2__nd__ division commander, not exceptionally goal-oriented."_

Oh, how wrong Ace was. She was tempted to sound the alarm, but for now she was contented to shadowing him. Perhaps he simply wanted to feed some abandoned little kittens, or hide them in his enormous shaggy beard. Perhaps he was just a softie with no ill intentions.

He's picking a lock. Who in the right mind would pick a lock of his own crewmate's room? Unless you had Thatch's mind of a prankster, but Sky wasn't so sure.

"Hi Teach." She stepped out from the dark area, causing Teach to fumble around, laughing tonelessly.

"You look really suspicious, ya know." Sky leaned on one leg casually, though her hands remained alert for any movement.

"Ah Sky, you caught me." Teach let down his hood, showing a toothy grin. "Do you know what I'm here for?"

Without waiting for an answer (not as if Sky would have known in the first place), Teach let a long dagger gleam in the moonlight, still clean of any evidence.

His voice was very low, and unusually maniacal, and itching to tell her something. Something she'd probably rather not know.

"You should rest, cloud girl. Wasn't that what _your Ace _said?" He watched as Sky underhandedly reached for her weapon.

"Like I care about what that bakahead says." She said through gritted teeth. "Why are you at Thatch's room?"

"Thatch's room?" Teach paced around slowly, as if contemplating her question. "Hmm… I wonder…"

"Do you remember the Yami Yami no Mi Devil Fruit?" His beard rustled in the wind, his hooded eyes filled with mad excitement.

Sky remembered – Thatch was showing it off to everyone, shoving it into her face proudly while she was more interested in napping. For some reason, he decided to keep it, despite all that mumbo jumbo.

"Whoever finds a Devil Fruit can do whatever they want with it." Sky quoted Whitebeard.

"Yes, about that…" He looked almost regretful, but oddly calm about his resolution. "What if… What if whoever who found it _died_?"

"You wouldn't." Sky eyed him steadily.

"In life, you either need inspiration or desperation. Out of inspiration, I've hatched a plan to get that fruit. Out of desperation, I would kill for it." Teach shrugged, continuing to pick the lock. It clicked open.

"THATCH, FREAKING WAKE UP RIGHT NOW OR TEACH WILL KILL YOUR ASS AND TAKE YOUR DAMNED FRUIT!"

It had dawned on Sky that Teach would be by no means an easy opponent.

His black eyes widened considerably, showing his slight fear – and cowardice. But then his toothy grin returned, bigger than ever.

"Desperation calls for desperate measures." The dagger rose in the air and swung down.

* * *

**I've updated! The plot has finally turned slightly more exciting:D I've reignited my inspiration to write this, forgive me for the wait:) Review please~ and thank you to all who have, it means a lot to a little writer like me ^^**

**Arigato to:**

MsWildLuck/ KamuiSakurai/ angelrider13/ NamikazeMia/ toadfrog55/ NeitherSaneNorInsane/ cicir/ Munchkin/Tough chick/ Ben/ MatchboxLuffy/

Vegetable of Darkness/ Turtle crossing/ Chocolatluver4ever/ AliceLaw/ Guest/ UNICORNSPOORAINBOWS/ Guest D/ La Whimsical Mochi


	18. Mixed Feelings

**Chapter 18: Mixed feelings**

_"I pity a person with no dreams or ambitions."_

* * *

"BASTARD WHO WOKE ME UP?!"

The wooden door slammed straight into Teach's unsuspecting face. Sky staggered a few steps back, red droplets of crimson from her forehead colouring the front of her shirt. It was a close call – the dagger might have sliced her arm clean. Her puffy white arm transformed back to normal as she nonchalantly wiped off the blood.

A gunshot pierced the shin of Teach, and with a cry of uncontained agony he swung the dagger into the half-awakened Thatch's back. Knives clattered on the floor, as the cook suffered what was considered the loss of a man's dignity – a wound in his back.

"I was planning on a silent job… but how unfortunate…" Teach regained his composure, pocketing the Yami Yami no mi fruit in satisfaction.

"Oyaji _trusted _you!"

Laughing in contempt, he replied, "Indeed, it took me twenty years; give me some credit will ya?"

"If fate allows it, we will meet again _Sky_."

"If fate allows it, I would _kill _you."

"Have you ever killed someone, Sky?" Teach offered her a condescending look.

He smirked, gazing down at his victim. Sky aimed for his heart, in which he threw a smoke bomb when she pulled the trigger. Within seconds, it engulfed the entire area in a filthy cloud. She felt a fatal stab to the abdomen and a mocking whisper, "Relying too much on your devil fruit, huh?" – The dagger was seastone-coated.

"Remember this, I AM BLACKBEARD AND _I_ WILL BE THE NEXT PIRATE KING!" His voice faded along with his presence. The traitor was gone.

All Ace saw was Sky giving a razor-bladed scream, faintly punching the motionless body next to her to wake up, whilst the fire in her necklace illuminated too brightly.

_I couldn't remember whether I cried at the face of death staring blankly back at me._

* * *

Her head hurt, her stomach hurt, but clearly everything just seemed numbed and surreal. Her eyelids refused to obey while she stayed in the state of darkness. Voices buzzed around her, deeply anxious, though not low enough to have to strain to listen.

"How is he?"

"Still in coma…"

"It's my fault... I'm sorry. I should have known. He was part of my division."

"Ace, all of us were deceived."

Sky's eyelids lifted just a little, allowing her to catch a glimpse of Ace and all the Commanders, together with Whitebeard.

"Yo." Well, she didn't expect her voice to sound as cracked as she'd expected.

Ace pounced onto her like a distressed puppy, clasping her face with his hands.

"You're alive!"

Sky laughed, patting his head, "I won't die that easily."

Clearing his throat loudly, Marco pulled Ace off the bed, graciously asking about Sky's condition.

"That's a lot of tubes." She replied dryly, gazing around. Marco raised an eyebrow.

"You got stabbed…"

"And he missed. The vital part anyway." Sky muttered quietly.

Watching Ace and Marco's stern expressions, she sighed. "I'm fine. How's Thatch?" Marco shifted uncomfortably, as if intending to avoid answering that question until dire necessity.

"He's… he's…"

"In coma." Sky reconfirmed grimly.

"…He'll live." She wasn't quite sure if she was reassuring herself or everyone else.

Whitebeard stroked his beard thoughtfully, "I'm sure you know who Sophie is…" Sky eyed him with a sense of comprehension.

"She doesn't –" Marco cut Ace off with a questioning look.

"Venus was part of my crew then."

"…Dad?" Her whisper could barely be heard, drawing an interested glance from Ace.

_So that's why he let me join that easily. _Sky thought to herself, nodding slightly.

"To start off," Whitebeard gulped down half a bottle of sake, staring wistfully at the ocean, "They hated each other. At first anyway."

"Now that's a surprise." Marco chuckled, stealing glances at Ace and Sky knowingly. Ace looked as though the world just ended.

Sky watched Ace's squirm in discomfort , touching his arm with the IV tubes still stuck onto her. "What's wrong with you?"

"Agh, don't touch me!"

"Who's the girl here?" Sky scowled, confused by his strong reaction.

"His hormones are acting up." Marco added cheerfully.

Whitebeard continued as if nothing happened, "They hated each other's guts."

"Mom mentioned something about that when she was drunk…"

* * *

"_Pathetic. You have no dreams, no ambitions, no purpose?" The gun was held point-blank at his head but he didn't seem the least affected. A wry smile hung on his lips._

"_None at all, miss."_

_Sophie lowered the gun, smirking. Sure, he infuriated her, but she felt she had to do something to wipe off that annoyingly carefree grin on his face._

"_Why are you letting me off?" His head cocked to the side, amused. "Don't you hate people like me?"_

"_You're the worst." She confirmed, stowing away her revolver carefully. _

_Kicking him in between his legs, Sophie blew him a kiss. "I pity you just as much." Venus growled in pain – damn she kicked hard. _

_Somewhere in the distance, Venus heard her saying to Roger, "You are NOT shipping us. This is a ship, but WE, are not a ship – together." Definitely, it made no sense whatsoever. Venus stretched, thinking of the way she smiled when she held the weapon at his vulnerability._

_No, not at all vulnerable. He knew for a fact that it contained no bullets._

_3 years later…_

"_MARRY ME!" He bent on one knee over-enthusiastically_

_She screeched at one look of him kneeling, "Go away pervert!"_

"_Forty." Whitebeard made a stroke on the floor. "Roger, I might just win the bet." For the first time in decades, they have decided to be at peace. For now, anyway. _

"_Trust me, Sophie's a lot more romantic than she looks." Roger said confidently, before spluttering at the sight before him. _

"_I WIN!SHE SAID YES!" The Pirate King danced around gleefully, not bothering about the fact that he was on Whitebeard's ship. _

"_Well then she's family." The older man said with no bitterness in his words. _

"_I DIDN'T SAY YES!"_

_As Whitebeard ordered another bottle of sake, he said proudly, "I knew Sophie would wait till fifty."_

_10 years later…_

_Sophie gripped the railing tightly, "He got… what?" She dropped the den den mushi with a clang, blinking furiously._

_The tear-stained letter faced her once again. _

_Dear Sophie,_

_I know, it's been a while hasn't it? To think we're having a baby! YES I'M DADDY! I don't really know how I fell for you… It's weird. I'm not a wordy person, it's been five months, good god I must be the worst husband ever. (Mind you, it was fifty five tries you stubborn mull) Anyway, meet me at Sabody in a week. Here's a metaphorical kiss you sweetie pie._

_Forever drowning you in cheesiness, _

_Venus. (aka Darling) _

_The Vivre card lay in ashes on her right palm, blown away by the wind._

* * *

"I need a breather." Sky said abruptly, plucking out all the IV tubes whilst stepping out of the room. Ace got up and trailed after her, leaving the two older men behind.

"I thought Ace would never open that room again." Whitebeard said dolefully, watching the door shut with a click.

"What room?" Marco eyed him wearily.

Whitebeard looked through Marco with a distant smile, thumping the left side of his chest. "Here."

Sky lay down on the deck, her favourite spot in the entire ship. All she needed was peace – and lots of thinking to do.

"Hullo." Sky didn't seem to have heard him, so he lay down next to her, feeling the evening breeze against his skin.

"What are you thinking about?"

Placing two hands underneath her head as a make-shift pillow, Sky said, "My dad."

"I thought my mom hated him. She called him the 'bastard who left her behind'. Well, that's kind of childish."

She breathed slowly, letting the news wash over her. Feeling a hand place on top of hers, she shot a glance at Ace, who was determined to look at the clouds atop.

"You seemed cold."

"Thanks heater."

"No problem."

They continued like this, silently enjoying each other's company without the usual rowdiness of a pirate ship.

"Sky."

"Mmm?" She intertwined their fingers together, causing electric shocks to shoot through Ace's arm.

"Do… you know who my father is? I mean not Oyaji but…"

"Enlighten me." Sky tilted her head to the side, looking into Ace's eyes, softening her expression.

Ace raked his free hand through his hair, "Roger. Gol D. Roger."

Her eyes widened just a little, "_The Pirate King?_"

Nodding wryly, he replied, "The one and only."

"That's cool." She grinned, then paused when she saw him frowning at her.

"You reacted just like Luffy…"

Sky tightened his hold on his hand, peering at his face. "So Roger's your father. Then why do you sound like you'd like to tear his guts out for the seakings?"

"It's complicated…"

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll lick you."

"…Disturbing."

"So yes?"

"No."

"Gawd, why are you such a girl!" Sky tried whining a little, sitting up in frustration. Ace too got up, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

"I dare you to say that again." Both his hands cupped her face, forcing her to stare directly at him.

"What? Now isn't someone sensitive…" She enjoyed playing this game. Ace liked this teasing side of her, it made her seem… more alive, to put it that way.

"I finally get it." His nose touched hers gently, still holding on to her face as though it were a precious piece of glass.

Sky, still rather clueless, felt her heart palpate faster without her knowing the root of that cause. "Get what?"

He swallowed, pressing his mouth against her forehead, letting go after a few stunned seconds.

"I like you."

Sky continued gaping at him, still not quite comprehending the action.

"I like you… like how much Luffy likes meat."

It was as if ten thousand lightning bolts struck her dense brain.

She let out a hoarse "_Oh._"

* * *

**Preview of next chapter:**

_**"You are not going to find Blackbeard without me!"**_

_**"Nope."**_

_**"So, you're just going to leave after confessing? How original…" Her mouth was in a thin line.**_

_**Marco spat out a mouthful of rice in disbelief. He just wished so hard Thatch was there to share the priceless moment.**_

* * *

**I know I know. It's been ages, nearly two month good gawd. I AM SO SORRY! But I do hope that this chapter did the mini-hiatus justice :D**

**Updates would probably be irregular due to a hectic schedule right ahead after June :( I can't seem to find time to write... **

**Thank you so much for your reviews/favourites/alerts I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! It was them that convinced me to sit down and write this chapter... Hope you enjoyed it! YES I HAVE FINALLY PROGRESSED THE INCREDIBLY SLOW RELATIONSHIP CHEERS. Sit tight for the roller coaster ahead~**


	19. Leaving

**Chapter 19: Leaving**

_"Excuse me while I kiss the sky"_

* * *

She sought solitude at the mast, feeling the cool salted air brush against her face. Sky pondered over yesterday's roll of events, but the image of Thatch's motionless body kept flashing vividly in her eyes, whilst Ace's confession kept echoing in her ears.

"_I like you… like how much Luffy likes meat."_

It wasn't as if Sky was completely unaware of it, but mostly kept it to herself. Humans were decidedly impulsive creatures acting on hormones, and convinced herself that Ace's deprivation of women was the sole reason for that.

"Hmm. He's probably deprived." Sky thought aloud, chuckling a little.

"Who's deprived?" Ace asked curiously, climbing up onto the mast effortlessly.

Without thinking, Sky pointed at him decisively. "You."

Sighing, he smiled slightly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. In a flash, he pecked her lightly on the cheek.

"Bakahead." Ace quipped, jumping off the mast before Sky could give a smart retort.

Sky shivered, mentally slapping herself. "Ugh I can feel goose bumps everywhere! Ace's behaving a little off lately."

"And you still haven't figured out why?" Marco appeared out of nowhere, much to Sky's irritation at another unforeseen interruption.

Sky eyed Marco in sudden sullenness, curling up in a ball. "It's going to give a hell lot of trouble."

"…What?" The first division commander questioned.

"Do you think we're better off dead because we're pirates?"

"Is love hard?"

"Why do humans crave companionship?"

She shot off all the questions, not stopping to hear an answer, while Marco could do nothing but listen passively.

"_Is this how she deals with confused love?" _Marco made a mental note not to cross her 'questioning' side – it was rather overwhelming. Then, he spotted Ace in a heated argument with Whitebeard, who looked completely against whatever he was suggesting.

"This once, let it go Ace." Whitebeard cautioned the hot-headed fireman, his previous joking manner gone in an instant.

"I swear I would get revenge on that bastard." Ace said obstinately. Whitebeard sighed, shaking his head while muttering incoherent sentences.

Now, Marco was somewhat worried. He had an odd, eerie feeling about the power of the Yami Yami no Fruit, and the ruthless coldness Teach had hidden all the years ago. If Whitebeard had to make an exception for him, it was no small matter.

* * *

"You are not going to find Blackbeard without me!"

"Sure I am."

Sky scowled, scrunching up her features. "So, you're just going to leave after confessing? How original…" Her mouth was in a thin line.

Marco spat out a mouthful of rice in disbelief. He just wished so hard Thatch was there to share the priceless moment. Ace turned a shade of magma, staring at his pile of food as though he wanted to bury his entire being into it.

"…Fine! Whatever! I'm not your dad." The defeated man got out from the chair and brisk-walked out of the dining hall, much to a series of wolf-whistles, congratulations and numerous pats on the back.

_Her hair was dripping wet, the spiky ends forming solidified icicles. She beckoned him over, as she tiptoed for a searing kiss, with him pulling her closer with two hands on her waist…_

Ace knocked his shin against the railing, crying out a string of profanities. How could one daydream while _walking_? Absolutely embarrassing, and the fact that Sky most definitely would _not _kiss him in that way, not that he minded…

He stopped in his tracks, slapping himself. "What is wrong with you? You're acting like a lovesick girl!" He heard distinct laughter from behind, spinning around only to find a bemused Sky smirking at his exclamation.

"Ace… Oyaji thinks you shouldn't go." Her expression changed drastically, going from amusement to completely solemn. Ace quirked an eyebrow and laughed it off.

"I have to." There was tone of finality in his voice that even Sky did not question anymore. She simply shrugged, muttering lowly to herself.

"_What an idiot…"_

* * *

Ace made himself comfortable in a wooden chair next to a certain hospital bed.

"Hi Thatch."

Thatch's mouth twitched, but Ace looked past it, staring at the blank wall.

"I did tell her."

"What did she say?"

"She… Wait _what?_" Ace sprang out from his chair; his eyes boring into the now awaken man sitting serenely on the bed as though he just had a very nice nap.

"I asked, what did she say?" Thatch drawled, yawning a little.

Ace's eyes narrowed at the reality before him, "She said 'oh' then… it got awkward."

"Oh?" Thatch exhaled, looking thoroughly disappointed. "Well, I woke up for nothing…"

Something flew across the room and hit Thatch squarely on the forehead.

"Ah I'm sorry, I was aiming for Marco but…" Sky stopped mid sentence to see a slightly dazed Thatch and a miffed Ace.

"Hi?"

"Where's Thatch?" Sky asked slowly, looking around frantically.

"Right here." Thatch waved.

"Please tell me it's real… "Sky gave a tiny whisper, as Thatch's eyes twinkled in amusement.

"You could always kiss Ace."

"Okay then, it's real." Sky replied flatly, recognizing the perverted comments of their cook.

* * *

Almost all of the crew came to say their farewells, some throwing handfuls of advice here and there, though mostly it included 'eloping methods 101' and lots of 'whisky'.

Marco and Thatch stood at a corner, identical smirks plastered on their faces.

She thought back of Marco's words before their departure – _"Sky, make sure when you do found Teach… Watch Ace for us..." Marco tapped his head with a finger, "Because Ace tends to… lose himself… when he becomes furious."_

"I won't get caught that easily. " Ace smirked, catching Sky's eye.

"You say that too much... " Sky gave Nicole a hug before jumping into the striker.

Ace slung his bag over his shoulder, laughing, "You think I'd jinx that sentence?"

Whitebeard called out to her in his usual gruff voice, "DON'T FORGET!"

"Don't forget what?" Ace frowned, not remembering any conversation with Oyaji that consisted of him memorizing something.

Sky shrugged, checking if her log pose was working.

"Let's go!" The monster whale of a ship grew smaller and smaller, until its visibility was hidden in the bright sunlight. Sky whistled, yet not particularly looking forward to their main goal – killing their former crewmate.

"So, was Teach strong?"

"Well, I'm certain I could beat him." Ace said confidently.

"Your ego would be the end of you one day…" Sky warned him jokingly, quietly observing the emptiness of the sea. The sea of dreams, hopes, that comes with pinches of risk, violence and ultimate danger.

* * *

**Hello guys! I JUST GOT 11 REVIEWS AND LOTS OF FAVOURITES I'M REALLY HAPPY THANKS SO MUCH! I'm really sorry but this would be my last update before a really huge exam so it'll be really quite a while before my next update. BUT HEY they have finally left eh moby dick (I was sooo excited for this part) and the real adventure is starting! With just Ace and Sky ;-) I'll miss Marco and Thatch though... those doting men... **

**Once again, you guys are the reason I update this, and hopefully after the exam I'll get to update everything again and write and write and write:D LOVE YOU ALL and I hope this chapter is a good foundation for the upcoming *cough* crazy *cough* tragedy? *but hey I'm not really good at writing tragedies so we'll see***

**And by the way, I do plan to write till Impel Down and such... :) **

**I actually planned for this chapter to be a tad more romantic but I was thinking maybe if they had more time alone later... you know... I have actually written out the more... romantic... scenes... so excited... **


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